Monster Energy’s Hiroto Ohhara Wins the 2015 Vans US Open of Surfing and Becomes First Japanese Surfer to Claim the US Open of Surfing Title
Huntington Beach, Calif (PRWEB) August 04, 2015 -- Monster Energy congratulates Hiroto Ohhara, Japan, on taking first place at the Vans US Open of Surfing – a men’s Qualifying Series (QS) 10,000 event where he was up against some of the World Surf League’s (WSL) Championship Tour (CT) surfers who were competing to back up their elite rankings with QS rankings to stay on the 2016 tour – at the famed Huntington Beach surf break amongst the world’s best surfers in front of thousands of fans.
This marks a historic win for Japan with Ohhara, 18, becoming the first-ever Japanese surfer to claim the US Open of Surfing title. Teammate San Clemente local Griffin Colapinto, 17, also took the victory for the Vans US Open of Surfing Pro Junior where the two young surfers managed to steal the show with surprise performances.
Ohhara defeated Tanner Hendrickson and made history with an excellent 9.17 points when there were only three minutes to go and a total of 14.5 points for the heat, which earned him 10,000 points for the QS and a $100,000. He also took out some pretty big names like Carlos Munoz, Ryan Callinan, Mitch Crews and Kanoa Igarashi to get there. Considering Ohhara barely made the cut to compete in the event as an alternate and ended up becoming the first Japanese champion in the history of the event, Japan definitely has something to celebrate.
Colapinto and local Huntington Beach’s Igarashi, who knows the break better than anyone else, and also competed in the Men’s QS 10,000, battled it out in a close event with Colapinto posting a 9.67 with a series of powerful backside turns to Igarashi’s 9.57 allowing him to reclaim the number one spot and victory.
“I was tripping that I was able to pull it out of the bag and get that [9.67],” said Colapinto. “It was probably the best feeling of my life getting that score.”
For more on Ohhara, Colapinto and the rest of the Monster Energy team visit http://www.monsterenergy.com. Please credit photos for editorial use as labeled: Aframe/Billy Watts @billywatts and Aframe/Jeremiah Kein @miahklein.
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About Monster Energy
Based in Corona, California, Monster Energy is the leading marketer and distributor of energy drinks and alternative beverages. Refusing to acknowledge the traditional, Monster Energy supports the scene and sport. Whether motocross, off-road, NASCAR, MMA, BMX, surf, snowboard, ski, skateboard, or the rock and roll lifestyle, Monster Energy is a brand that believes in authenticity and the core of what its sports, athletes and musicians represent. More than a drink, it’s the way of life lived by athletes, sports, bands, believers and fans. See more about Monster Energy including all of its drinks at http://www.monsterenergy.com.
Kim Dresser, Indie Agency LLC, http://www.indiepragency.com, +1 (949) 300-5546, [email protected]
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