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The third stop on the 2022 World Surf League Challenger Series, the Ballito Pro presented by O’Neill provided epic action from some of the world’s best surfers battling to qualify for the elite Championship Tour.
The Men’s Final hit the lineup with Rio Waida taking on Gatien Delahaye in an exciting matchup where both surfers were highly capable of taking the debate to the air.
Waida pulled the trigger first with a somewhat conservative approach, belting a couple of turns in the opening minute of the Final for a 7.50 and the early upper hand. Waida then found a clean little tube up the beach and added a 5.17 to his total. The Indonesian kept extremely busy trying to up the ante on a succession of rights, well surfed but just below his barrel score.
Rio Waida
Delahaye finally found his rhythm at the 15-minute mark with a clean little air for a 5.57 to get right back in the fight. But Waida didn’t back down and threw a crazy reverse over a challenging section to post an excellent 8-point ride and askeed a near-perfect requirement (9.93) from his opponent. Eventually, time ran out and Waida claimed his second win of the season on the 2022 Challenger Series. Delahaye’s runner-up result in Ballito marks the biggest result of his young career and a step in the right direction heading into the rest of the season.
Gatien Delahaye
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In the Women’s Final, Macy Callaghan took on tour rookie Molly Picklum. Callaghan posted the first real score of the Final with a single, powerful backhand hit for a 5.00, and Picklum replied in a very similar fashion for a 4.67 to stay in striking distance of the lead. The more experienced of the two, Callaghan kept building with a similar short left once again with a 5.67. Picklum switched strategies and went to the rights that saw the men score big earlier and found a 5.83, still in second position but now with the highest score of the heat.
Macy Callaghan
That advantage didn’t last long as Callaghan found a better wall to exploit on her backhand again for a 6.50 and a slightly larger lead into the final few minutes of the heat. With four minutes on the clock, Picklum forced her opponent to show intent on going on a closeout left, switching priority and opening a door wide open for the rookie’s final chance at turning the heat. She did get an opportunity with two quick turns on a left and posted a 6.57 to claim the win in the dying seconds of the Final.
Molly Picklum
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Ballito Pro Men’s Final Results:
1 – Rio Waida 15.50
2 – Gatien Delahaye 9.50
Ballito Pro pres. Women’s Final Results:
1 – Molly Picklum 12.40
2 – Macy Callaghan 12.17
Ballito Pro Men’s Semifinal Results:
Heat 1: Rio Waida 14.60 defeated Keanu Asing 13.80
Heat 2: Gatien Delahaye 8.67 defeated Leonardo Fioravanti 7.77
Ballito Pro Women’s Semifinal Results:
Heat 1: Macy Callaghan 12.66 defeated Bronte Macaulay 9.54
Heat 2: Molly Picklum 13.17 defeated Caitlin Simmers 11.20
Photos by Pierre Tostee/World Surf League.
