A stellar return to form helped Barbados’ champion book a place in the final

arbados’ first-ever World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour (CT) qualifier, Chelsea Tuach showed she’s still a force to be reckoned with after a commanding week in Puerto Rico, making the women’s final at the La Marginal event.

The 28-year-old was in fine form at Arecibo, her backhand power outmatching some of the region’s best talents, from proven elite to emerging threats. She bested Olivia Storrer (USA) in their semifinal bout before taking on Leilani McGonagle in the final on Sunday.

Costa Rica’s McGonagleclaimed a momentous win at the inaugural La Marginal Surfing Pro, a Qualifying Series (QS) 3000 event. Pristine, four-to-six foot conditions provided the platform for contenders to showcase their high-performance capabilities with McGonagle emerging victorious over Chelsea Tuach.

A slow start saw Tuach earning the better of the opening exchanges by a small margin. The perennial QS standouts traded the lead multiple times heading into the back half of the final, with the Bajan champion holding the slightest edge, with a 5.67 (out of a possible 10) in her score line.

A massive exchange unfolded in the final five minutes, with McGonagle unleashing her forehand attack to overtake the lead from Tuach with a heat-best 7.83. Tuach wasn’t finished and in the dying moments found an opportunity but fell just short of the requirement, crowning McGonagle the event victor.

“Getting into the final and getting second you’re asking yourself why does it feel good and kind of suck at the same time,” Tuach remarked with a laugh. “But, I’m happy to have gotten there and it was good to surf that final with Leilani.

“We joked it was one for the old girls after the Super Girl was all the young girls doing really well so it was fun. I think we used to be a bit jealous of the Australia and Asia QS but the schedule for us this year is amazing. To have an event here, in Pismo, multiple QS 3000s – it’s just amazing. And to go back-to-back for events coming up is great with another Super Girl so I’m looking forward to keeping this momentum going.”

The perennial QS threat Leilani McGonagle notched her second major QS win in the Caribbean after overcoming Tuach to claim 3,000 points. Now, McGonagle looks for another big result at the presented by Jersey Mike’s Subs this coming weekend at Jacksonville Beach, Florida, where Tuach will also be present.

“I’m just really grateful to all my team and want to thank my family who always supports me. Everyone here from Costa Rica has been super supportive and I’m just so over the moon,” said McGonagle. “It was tough at the start getting a set on the head and being out of position but I’m stoked to get that one and I respect Chelsea so much and it was special to share that final with her.”

Dimitri Poulos won the men’s final over Taro Watanabe, a second career QS victory for Poulos as he looks to requalify for the Challenger Series.

(TF)