Sumatra, June 5: The 2024 Krui Pro World Surf League (WSL) Qualifying Series (QS) 5000 event concluded with stunning victories for Jarvis Earle (AUS) and Mirai Ikeda (JPN).
The competition featured Asia Pacific’s rising surf stars battling massive waves at Ujung Bocur and, eventually, cleaner conditions at the backup location, Krui Left.
In the men’s final, Jarvis Earle faced off against fellow Australian Taj Stokes in an intense showdown. Both surfers demonstrated exceptional skill, but it was Earle who emerged victorious with a last-minute wave that secured his third QS event win of the year.
“I’m so stoked to have won this event, it’s such a great place with great waves and having my friends here it was awesome,” Earle expressed.
Reflecting on the final moments, he added, “I was sitting out there for like 10-15 minutes, I reckon, and there hadn’t been a set, then I saw the sets coming on the horizon, and it definitely got my heart going. When it was going small, I knew I had to surf out of body so I tried some airs, but when I saw that set, I knew I could just stick to turns and get the score. I’m just stoked I got the opportunity on a bigger wave at the end of the heat and that I got it done.”
In the women’s final, Mirai Ikeda triumphed over Willow Hardy (AUS) in a gripping match. Ikeda’s early lead and strategic use of priority in the slow conditions earned her the biggest victory of her career.
“Before the heat, I was really nervous,” said Ikeda. “Now I’m so happy to win this final. I got more confident after my first good score, but then there were not many waves, so the last five minutes made me nervous again. It seemed so long. I always tried to finish my first wave and do well on it, which I did, but it was hard to get another good one. I was worried Willow was going to get a good one, but luckily, I got an ok backup score on my last wave, and Willow didn’t get any good waves.”
Ikeda’s success didn’t stop there. She also clinched the Krui Pro Junior title, defeating fellow Japanese surfers Cocona Kawase and Kana Nakashio, and China’s Yiyao Wang.
The men’s Pro Junior saw Indonesian talent Bronson Meydi defend his title. Despite initial struggles, Meydi’s persistence paid off, securing his second consecutive win at Krui.
“That felt great, but I didn’t really surf it as well as I should have,” Meydi admitted. “It was a pretty weird heat. I got a couple of waves that I should have been doing better on. I just couldn’t get in sync for a while. But I’m so stoked to get back-to-back wins here at Krui. I waited for so long, and then I saw there were only two minutes left, and luckily, the set wave came in. I love this wave and this place.”
Competitors will now prepare for the Nias Pro QS 5000 and Pro Junior events at Lagundri Bay, North Sumatra, set to run from June 8-15.
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