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CLOUD NINE, GENERAL LUNA, Siargao Island (MindaNews / 8 Oct) – It’s a total vengeance for the home-grown surfer John Mark “Marama” Tokong after he successfully defeated defending champion Skip McCullough in the last elimination round for the 25th Siargao International Surfing Cup.
Tokong, 23, the only remaining Filipino surfer left in the round after 20 others were eliminated in earlier rounds, outclassed the American surfer along with South African Koby Oberholzer in the aerial fashion.
McCulllough finished with a total combined points of 12.10 while Tokong took 12.75 points, just enough to outpoint his dreaded opponent.
McCullough was last year’s champion while Tokong finished as first runner-up.
“The waves were too good for aerials and I did my best shot for it. It’s sweet victory,” Tokong told MindaNews after the competition.
The home-grown surfer, along with Australian Thomas Cervi, advanced to the quarterfinals, which will be on Wednesday.
“I really thank people who are here to watch and cheer for me. I can feel the pressure. I’m praying for the best waves tomorrow to perform well,” he said.
Tokong will square off with Indonesian Oney Anwar for the quarterfinals.
The 25th Siargao International Surfing Cup is a World Surfing League (WSL) Qualifying Series (QS) 1,500 event. (Roel N. Catoto / MindaNews)
