Burke riding the waves to round three

Barbadian Josh Burke continues to make waves in the world of surfing, advancing to round three of the Vans US Open in Huntington Beach, California.

It was a solid showing from the 22-year-old Burke at an event with 112 of the world’s best surfers qualifying for the event.

In round one yesterday morning, Burke opened up with a left hander and connected three turns, ending on the sand in front thousands of spectators to drop a 6.67 point ride.

He then backed it up with a powerful tail slide slash on an in-coming closeout section receiving loud cheers from the crowd and a 7.17 point ride from the judges to take his first heat win.

In round two, Burke clashed with World Championship Tour surfers Californian Pat Guduaskas and Brazilian Jesse Mendes, who is also the Triple Crown of Surfing Champion. The field also included Tahitian powerhouse Mihimama Braye.

Burke took the first wave of the heat scoring 5.17 points. A 10-minute lull occurred before the next wave was ridden in the 30-minute heat that saw Guduaskas win with a 6.33 point and 6.90 point with Burke backing up his score with a 5.27 point that proved enough to eliminate Mendes and Braye and advance. (MK)