Harley Ingleby (AUS), 25, won the Yumeya presents Oxbow ASP WLT at Tahara, over Duane de Soto (HAW), 32, in peaky two-to-three foot surf (1 metre) after a marathon day of competition at Long Beach in Tahara Aichi, Japan.
The Yumeya presents Oxbow ASP WLT at Tahara marks the first of two events on the ASP WLT calendar, which crowns the undisputed ASP World Longboard Champion at year’s end. The next contest slated on the 2009 season will be the Oxbow ASP WLT in the Maldives which will be held in October.
After battling through five heats today, Ingleby found the leftover endurance to finish up strong, jumping out to an early lead over de Soto and carrying the lead throughout the 35-minute final to take out the Yumeya presents Oxbow ASP WLT at Tahara.
“It’s just the best feeling in the world,” Ingleby said. “It was pretty hard out there and Duane is such a good surfer. I’m just so stoked I don’t even know what to say, I’m lost for words.”
Ingleby was in an identical situation last year after the ASP WLT in France and is hoping to put together a second solid result to take out this year’s ASP World Longboard Title.
“You couldn’t dream of a better start to the year,” Ingleby said. “Hopefully I can put together a stronger second event this year”.
