Published on November 4th, 2013 | by Supworldmagazine
Kai Lenny takes La Torche Pro and Secures World Title (Stand Up Surfing)
Kai Lenny takes La Torche Pro and Secures World Title.
The La Torche Pro France presented by Naish and Twenty-Nine saw a spectacular finish for the Men’s division, with waves that more resembled Sunset Beach than what you would expect from this North West corner of France. In solid 8ft surf, Kai Lenny (Naish) put on a clinic of high performance stand up paddle surfing, taking the win here at Stop 4 of the Stand Up World Tour, and as a result, securing the 2013 World Title.
With 3 Surfing World Titles and 2 Racing World Titles, Kai has proved himself to be the most dominant figure in the sport, with 5 World Titles in 4 years across both Surfing and Racing. Having just secured the Racing World Title a few short weeks ago at Turtle Bay, Kai completes a stellar year in conditions that were nothing short of epic, making it two out of two.
Caio Vaz caps spectacular year on Stand Up World Tour.
Caio Vaz (Art in Surf) finishes the year strong here at the La Torche Pro France, securing another Finals berth and 2nd place finish to add to his second places in Brazil and California. While Caio wasn’t able to secure the World TItle he was looking for, it has been a great year for the young Brazilian, as he has proved himself in both big and small surf, as he will regroup and work towards a possible title in 2014. One thing is for sure, Caio Vaz is a real force to be reckoned with and is one of the most dynamic and charismatic athletes on Tour.
Justin Holland ends the year on a high here in France.
With strong performances day after day here at the La Torche Pro France showing that he was one of the on form surfers of the event, Justin Holland (Starboard) from Australia set the standard for the day with some of the most powerful surfing of the event so far, in full size surf.
Unfortunately, he came up against an unstoppable Kai Lenny (Naish) in the Semi Finals and was unable to find the form he had in his quarterfinal heat, relegating him to the consolation final. However, there he once again put on a powerful performance, finishing in an impressive 3rd place in this all important climactic event of the year.
This result puts him into 8th place overall for the year, with two 3rd place finishes, but lacking a 3rd strong result this year to be able to better his overall position. Nonetheless a real statement from the powerful Australian and a testament of what is to come from him in 2014 and beyond.
Leco Salazar finishes strong, moving up into 3rd overall.
Leco Salazar from Brazil once again showed that he is one of the best in the world this week, capping a strong year for the 2012 World Champion by reaching the semi finals here at the La Torche Pro France presented by Naish and Twenty-Nine. This 4th place finish, coupled with his win in Brazil and 9th in California propels him into 3rd place overall for the year. While he was not able to defend his 2012 Title, he still made the podium and is right in the mix as we now prepare for an even bigger and better 2014.
NW France’s own Sunset Beach lights up for the final day.
This photo more than any could be Sunset Beach, except for of course the color of the sky and the rocks in the background. One thing it does show though is that La Torche is a World Class spot, and worthy of its stature as the European stop on the Stand Up World Tour.
More info go to www.watermanleague.com
Stay by for videos…