Hawaii's Viera & Yoshida crowned tandem world champs
Kalani and
Blanche : photo Lucia/RipCurl.com
Hawaiian tandem surfing partners Kalani Viera and Blanche Yoshida have won Stop 5 of the final World Tandem Tour in Liencres, Spain this weekend. The contest win was the couple's third of the season and kept them in first overall on the World Tandem Tour ratings.
For Yoshida, aged 54, the world title is a return to the elite stage, having won her first tandem surfing world title in 1968. "It's really good coming back and this year has been a really nice journey," said Yoshida. "I won the world championships in 1968 and then four out of the five years until 1973, so it's been a long time since then."
Yoshida retired from tandem surfing shortly after 1973 and didn't return to the sport until last year. "I fell out of surfing after 1973," she continued. "I moved, I got a job, got married and wasn't around surfing at all. It wasn't until I went to Waikiki last year to watch one of the contests there that I got interested again."
While she was in Waikiki, Yoshida met ITSA tour manager Rico Leroy (FRA) and her passion for the sport was re-introduced. Leroy and his tandem partner Sarah Burel (FRA) finished runner-up in the overall world title race after finished fourth in Spain this weekend. "I met Rico and asked him to take me out into the surf for one wave. We paddled out, caught two waves and I was hooked again. It was amazing."
Tandem competitors : photo Lucia/RipCurl.com
Yoshida returned to Kauai and went on the search for a partner. She met with 41-year-old Viera and they began training this year. "It's been a really fun year and it's a good feeling right now," said Viera. "I never thought I would be a world champion in anything, let alone tandem surfing. It's a great!"
"Blanche and I owe everything this year to Rico and the rest of the tandem teams, because they taught us everything this year and were always so helpful and nice to us. They are the real winners to us!" Coming into Stop 5 in Spain, Leroy and Burel were the only couple that could steal the world title from the Hawaiians' grasp. If Leroy and Burel finished first overall in Spain, they would have won the world title.
"It was exciting that it came down to this last stop," continued Viera. "We had a small lead coming into this event, so it was important for us to place ahead of Rico and Sarah. In the final we really scored, got some good waves which enabled us to get plenty of maneuvers and some good connecting lifts."
Leroy was pleased about finishing a successful tandem season, but was disappointed about the fourth place finish in Spain and missing his world title chance. "I'm a little disappointed not to finish first today and to miss the world title again, but I'm happy that the Tandem Tour has had support from Rip Curl this week. I'm looking forward to next year when we're going to have even better support all season."
"Kalani only arrived in Tandem surfing last year, but he has got stronger and stronger in every competition he's done," continued Leroy. "I knew he was going to be really tough today and unfortunately I wasn't lucky with my waves and wave choice."
RESULTS - STOP
5 (part of the Rip Curl Girls Festival)
1st. Kalani Viera and Blanche Yoshida (HAW)
2nd. Chuck Inman and Tiffany (HAW)
3rd. Brian Keaulana and Kathy Terada (HAW)
4th. Rico Leroy and Sarah Burel (FRA)
2007 ITSA TOUR
RESULTS
Stop 1 - Hookipa, Maui: Kalani Viera and Blanche Yoshida (HAW)
Stop 2 - Noosa, Australia: Rico Leroy and Sarah Burel (FRA)
Stop 3 - Seignosse, France: Rico Leroy and Sarah Burel (FRA)
Stop 4 - Huntington Beach, USA: Kalani Viera and Blanche Yoshida (HAW)
Stop 5 - Liencres, Spain: Kalani Viera and Blanche Yoshida (HAW)
2007 ITSA
World Title
Kalani Viera and Blanche Yoshida (HAW)
www.aspworldtour.com
www.ripcurl.com/girlsfestival
Kalani and Blanche : photo Lucia/RipCurl.com