IN A bid to repeat his 2005 National Open Surfing Series Championship run, Icah Wilmot got off to a slow start last weekend when he competed in the first of the five-event tournament at the Lighthouse Surfing Beach.
Riding two-foot waves, Wilmot lagged behind the performance of Luke Williams, who outdid his opponents in a manner that suggests we could have a new champion this season.
The event attracted Jamaica's top surfers from Kingston, St Andrew and Portland.
National under-16 representative, young Shane Simmonds of Boston Bay in Portland rode his way to third place for the north coast crew, and according to surfing pundits, showed maturity out on the waves far beyond his years.
TOP CLASS SURFERS
Other Under-16 national representatives showed themselves to be top class surfers in any company, as Ackeam Phillips, Joel Lawrence and Inilek Wilmot, all of Bull Bay, finished fourth, fifth and sixth respectively.
In the women's division, five ladies registered for the event which was run immediately before the men's final. Danielle O'Hayon (Kingston), Imani Wilmot, Elim and Esther Beckford (Bull Bay) and Angelina Rowe (Boston Bay) stood together at the start.
The waves proved a bit too much for Rowe, who was forced to withdraw before the final whistle. O'Hayon, however, proved herself the bravest of the lot and charged the overhead waves showing that the ladies can surf too and secured first for herself.
Wilmot kept slugging away and grabbed second with a couple waves that eased her ahead of Beckford, who took third.
