Barbadian Tuach still riding high in South Africa

Surfing sensation Chelsea Tuach has continued to fly the Barbadian flag high at Pollock Beach, Port Elizabeth, South Africa. She won her Round 4 heat to advance to the quarter-finals of the prestigious World Surf League 3,000 event.

The field of 80 female professional surfers, from around the world, who started on day one of the competition, has now dwindled to eight. Isabella Nichols from Australia will face off against Hawaiian Summer Macedo in Quater-final 1, Tuach will face another top Australian surfer in Holly Wawn in Quarter-final 2 while Sophie McColloch, another Australian, will be up against Kirra Pinkerton from the USA and Pauline Ado will meet a fellow French Woman, Vahine Fierro, in the final two quarter-finals.

“I am really happy to have made finals day tomorrow. The conditions continue to be difficult, with the wind coming up just before our round and causing a lot of chop on the face of the wave. Luckily I found a really good wave at the start of the heat which put me in a good position to take the win which I did once I found that solid back up wave towards the end of the heat,” Tuach said shortly after the heat.

She added: “I am looking forward to my match up with Holly Wawn tomorrow and will do my very best to keep advancing.”

Tuach won the heat with a total of 11.34 to Macedo’s 9.44. Melanie Giunta from Peru was third with 7.17 while Teresa Bonvalot from Portugal ended up in fourth with 5.50. Wawn was second to Isabella Nichols in the first heat of the Women’s Round 4, with a heat total of 10.50 to Nichols’ 13.50. (PR)