South Africa’s Luke Thompson Wins Ballito Pro on Home Turf

“It feels like a dream and I’m just waiting to wake up,” Luke said after beating former Championship Tour rookie George Pittar in the final. “I’m so proud to be South African, the support on the beach has been incredible. When I made the final I was struggling to keep my emotions in check. I wish it was a better final, but I can’t believe it. There’s so much hard work that goes into this. The biggest thank you to my coach, I couldn’t do it without him.”

With the win, Luke was awarded a wildcard slot into the upcoming J-Bay CT event next week, as he’s one of the top two highest-ranked African surfers on the Challenger Series (Matthew McGillivray is the other). 

In the women’s final, Nadia Erostarbe of Spain got her first career CS win. The 25-year-old Basque surfer beat tour vet Sally Fitzgibbons in the semis before outlasting Yolanda Hopkins of Portugal. Nadia surfed in five CT events this season as a replacement for Johanne Defay. She had her inverted backside hooks on lock and clubbed the right multiple times in the final. Nadia totaled 12.80 to Yolada's 10.84, snagged a pair of 6s and jumped 17 spots to No. 4 on the Challenger Series rankings.

“I don’t even have the words to describe what I’m feeling right now,” Nadia said. “I’m so emotional right now, I have so many friends here, it’s amazing. The waves were picking up for the Final with Yolanda, and I was hoping for those big waves. The European storm is here, because we’re all doing so well.”

Wave-wise, Luke made most of a lackluster final. Neither surfer cracked double-digit heat totals (9.33 to 9). Most waves were incomplete, and nothing scored higher than a 5.5. Luke’s first real wave came after half the final had elapsed, a sneaky barrel on the right, but he fell trying to float the lip for a 5.33. His next significant wave came with just two minutes left. Trailing George, Luke got a 4 for tagging the left twice. 

A tough L for George, so was excellent in his prior heat against Jorgann Couzinet. George got the highest score of finals day (8.67) for expertly carving an overhead right. With the runner-up finish, the Australian is now No.3 on the CS rankings.

“It’s bittersweet, losing a Final needing a four is annoying,” George said. “I’m sure I’ll be frothing tomorrow, it’s a good step in the right direction.”

The CS has a few weeks off before the third event of the season, the US Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach.  The event window runs from July 26 through August 3.