JEFFREYS Bay local Steven Sawyer has won the 2018 WSL World Longboard Championship at the Taiwan Open of Surfing in clean, two to three foot waves at Jinzun Harbour.
Sawyer came up against Longboarding legend Kai Sallas (HAW) in an incredible 25 minute Final.
Sawyer (24) was on fire all event, but saved his best performances for the last day, posting excellent heat totals in all three heats, including a 9.50 single wave score in the semi-final, the highest of the entire event.
His combination of traditional longboarding manoeuvres with speed, power and flow was impeccable, and he needed it all to overcome Sallas in the final to best his runner-up finish at the 2016 World Championship.
Sawyer had a massive crowd supporting him on the beach who erupted every time he caught a wave, making the atmosphere electric.
Sawyer, is a proven shortboard surfer as well, having competed in the 2017 JBay Open Championship Tour event as a Wildcard.
He was competing on a board shaped by his father, Des Sawyer, a long time Jeffreys Bay local, that seemed to suit the waves of Taiwan perfectly.
He will now join the likes of Jordy Smith (junior title), Shaun Thompson and Wendy Botha as a WSL World Champion.
“My dad has been shaping incre-dible boards for me recently and they worked so well at events. This is my second time visiting Taiwan and it is such an amazing place with amazing waves,” said Sawyer.
RESULTS
Final
- Heat 1: Steven Sawyer (ZAF) 16.10 DEF. Kai Sallas (HAW) 15.10
Semi-final
) Heat 1: Steven Sawyer (ZAF) 16.10 DEF. Taylor Jensen (USA) 12.96
- Heat 2: Kai Sallas (HAW) 15.80 DEF. Cole Robbins (USA) 15.10
Quarter-final
- Heat 1: Steven Sawyer (ZAF) 14.76 DEF. Tony Silvagni (USA) 12.94
- Heat 2: Taylor Jensen (USA) 14.23 DEF. Harley Ingleby (AUS) 13.57
- Heat 3: Kai Sallas (HAW) 16.33 DEF. Edouard Delpero (FRA) 12.83
- Heat 4: Cole Robbins (USA) 14.67 DEF. Antoine Delpero (FRA) 12.36
