A podium finish was absent, but Barbados’ top female surfer Chelsea Tuach continues to make waves in overseas waters. Having left North America, she has now taken her talents to Europe.
Tuach took to the waves in Les Bourdaines Seignosse, in France, last weekend, and just missed out on making the final of the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Swatch Girls Pro event.
Clashing against 54 junior girls from around the world in the most prestigious female surf event on the annual surf calendar, Tuach had a great start, standing high on her board to easily advance through the first few rounds.
Left in her wake in an impressive quarter-final heat were rivals Ariane Ochoe, from Spain, Frankie Harrer, of the Unites States of America, and home-town girl Marion Bouzigues, from France.
But that’s where Tuach’s luck ran out. Despite not winning the semi-final she made an extraordinary performance adjacent to Australians Keely Andrew, and the eventual event winner Michelle Greene.
Tuach needed a score of 6.9 to win a spot in the final, and almost got it done, as she found a peeling right-hander on which she was able to perform three powerful front-side hacks. But even with that magnificent showing of her skills she ended with a 6.7 score, narrowly missing out on a possible podium finish.
Finishing 20 against 96 participants in ASP 6-Star Women’s Qualification event, Tuach executed well, facing the world’s best professional women.
“This is another solid result for me. The waves were very small and challenging so I am happy to have placed equal fifth in the junior and equal 19th in the Women’s QS,” Tuach said after her European outing.
I’m looking forward to surfing bigger waves at the ASP 6 Star Pantin Pro Classic in Galicia, Spain next week,” the Barbados Sportswoman Of The Year added. (DB)
