Congrats Marama semi-finalist, joint equal third.
Siargao’s main man just wrapped up an incredible showing at the 28th Siargao International Surfing Cup QS5000, proving once again why he's one of Asia's most electrifying surfers.
Threading through Cloud 9's hollow rights with the kind of local knowledge that only comes from growing up in these waters. Marama, being a top seed, first appeared in the comp in round of 32. He started his event campaign in the best day of the event, a day which WSL dubbed the “barrel fest”, thanks to Cloud 9 waves performing with clean, 4-6ft perfection.
Marama’s first-round performance set the tone and he pierced the Australian competition with one of the highest scoring heats of the event. Tokong's 18.26 (out of a possible 20) heat total included a near-perfect 9.43 (out of a possible 10) and an 8.83.
Tokong continued sending it throughout the competition. Dropping into some of the heaviest sets of the event, he was combining deep barrel rides with explosive top turns that had the tower going wild. The pride of Siargao wasn't just surfing - he was putting on a show for his people, proving why he is an inspiration for the next generation of groms. JMT surfed with that unmistakable Filipino flair that has made him a favorite on the QS circuit. Marama bested his heats from round of 32 and earned a spot in the semi finals.
The finals day was met with very different conditions, onshore breeze changed the wave dynamics, but still provided opportunities for surfers to prove their skills. Met with tough Australian competition and shiftier wave conditions, Marama did not advance past the semi-finals.
Due to his performance, Marama shot up from #29 in Asia before the event to #10, a huge 19 rank jump. Just one more good performance at an upcoming QS event could give him enough points to secure a top 5 ranking and make it onto the Challenger Series once again. What makes this even more impressive, is that he still makes top 10 despite having missed out on three QS3000 events in Japan, proving that Marama is a leading competitor on the Asian circuit.
Marama may not be champion at this event, but he is still called the "The Little Master" (by WSL Wayne Bennet) and the champion of the Filipino community. His finesse of cloud 9 caught the attention of WSL and international surf magazine “Stab” and he is recognised for being the ultimate master of his homebreak.
(read the full feature here)
The future's looking bright for Philippine surfing, and with athletes like John Mark Tokong leading the charge, the best is yet to come. Kudo Surf is proud to back Marama as he continues to push the boundaries of what's possible in Filipino surfing.
Keep an eye out for more updates as Marama continues his campaign on the QS circuit. The journey's far from over.
Follow www.WorldSurfLeague.com for more information
Keep an eye on Marama’s journey via his instagram, @maramatokong
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