His victory was widely reported in the Japanese media,
There was a place that said that the dark horse would win...
Cole was a favorite to win.
I think Japanese surf media, judges, and surfers are not known to the world, so they may not have known of his existence.
Nishii reported on YouTube from last year's US Open that he had beaten Kanoa Igarashi, who had won the tournament two years in a row, in a one-on-one heat.
https://youtu.be/7X3o59qjxec
In the final of this match, he accomplished the amazing feat of scoring two points in the 9-point range.
During the WSL live broadcast, it was impressive to hear commentators repeatedly say that his surfing was at World Tour level.
Congratulations on the win! Call!
The board he was riding was Lost's fastest model, the Driver 3.0, which team riders all agree is incredibly fast!
