The first man-on-man elimination Round at the Billabong World Junior Championships Gold Coast got under way today in 2 foot (1 meter) runners at Burleigh Heads.

Caio Ibelli (BRA) eliminates ASP World Junior Title contenders with every Round he progresses through. PIC ASP/Kirstin.

Caio Ibelli (BRA) eliminates ASP World Junior Title contenders with every Round he progresses through. PIC ASP/Kirstin.

The conditions were tricky with good waves on offer, but surfers were forced to be selective and battle for the best waves.

Caio Ibelli (BRA) the top seed in the Billabong World Junior Championships and frontrunner for the ASP World Junior Title is back in winning form after his shock Round 1 loss. Ibelli posted a dominant win in his Round 2 clash with Eli Steele (AUS), mixing rail carves with big aerials to keep his 2011 ASP World Junior Title hopes alive.

Wade Carmichael (AUS), winner of the Von Zipper trials caused a major upset by eliminating 5th seed Dale Staples (ZAF). Carmichael caught the best waves and executed his trademark power carves to take the win and will now face current ratings leader Caio Ibelli (BRA) in Round 3.

Tim Macdonald (AUS) earnt his spot in the event thanks to a runner-up finish in the trials, and today eliminated Ryan Callinan (AUS) in a one sided affair. Macdonald surfed sharp and fast to advanced to Round 3, but it was clear that Callinan was holding back.

Callinan, the poster boy for the Billabong World Junior Championships Gold Coast was clearly disappointed with his early exit from the event. It’s been a tough couple of months for the young Novocoastrian, Callinan injured right ankle last year and has spent the last few months getting it back to 100%. Then two days ago he injured his other ankle, and went to get scans after his Round 2 loss today.

Kaito Ohashi (JPN) had the crowd on their feet after landing a massive backside fins-free waft, which netted him an 8.87 (out of a possible 10). This is Ohashi’s fourth appearance at the Billabong World Junior Championships and by advancing to Round 3 he’s already equaled his best result.

Vasco Ribeiro (PRT) was the standout performer of the day, scoring an near perfect 9.50 (out of a possible 10) on his opening ride. The Portuguese surfer looked at home at Burleigh’s right-handers, using powerful, precise snaps and carves to impress the judges.

A call will be made at 7:30am tomorrow for a possible 8am start. The Billabong World Junior Championships Gold Coast will be webcast live via www.billabongpro.com. For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com.

Round 2 Results
Heat 1: Caio Ibelli (BRA) 14.83 def. Eli Steele (AUS) 8.17
Heat 2: Wade Carmichael (AUS) 12.83 def. Dale Staples (ZAF) 9.10
Heat 3: Tim Macdonald (AUS) 11.67 def. Ryan Callinan (AUS) 5.00
Heat 4: Nathan Carvalho (HAW) 16.07 def. Frederico Morais (PRT) 14.90
Heat 5: Dean Bowen (AUS) 15.00 def. Mitchell Parkinson (AUS) 10.60
Heat 6: Mateia Hiquily (PYF) 12.23 Creed McTaggart (AUS) 11.76
Heat 7: Kaito Ohashi (JPN) 16.14 def. William Aliotti (FRA) 9.07
Heat 8: Vasco Ribeiro (PRT) 16.43 def. Deivid Silva (BRA) 13.57
Heat 9: Caue Wood (BRA) 9.93 def. Kan Watanabe (JPN) 8.60

Round 2 Match-Ups
Heat 10: Kalani David (USA) vs. Dylan Lightfoot (ZAF)
Heat 11: David Van Zyl (ZAF) vs. Kaishu Tanaka (JPN)
Heat 12: Evan Thompson (USA) vs. Pierre-Valentin Labo (FRA)
Heat 13: Arashi Kato (JPN) vs. Michael February (ZAF)
Heat 14: Chase Wilson (USA) vs. Keala Naihe (HAW)
Heat 15: Dylan Kowalski (USA) vs. Andrew Doheny (USA)
Heat 16: Lucas Silveira (BRA) vs. Hiroto Arai (JPN)

The Billabong World Junior Championship is supported by the Queensland Government, through Events Queensland. The Billabong World Junior Championships Gold Coast is brought to you by Monster Energy Drink, Sony, Events QLD, Sony Ericsson, VonZipper, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, Surfing Queensland, ASL magazine and Burleigh Boardriders.

Source: Press release ASP EURO News