Japan's Igarashi stuns Brazilian Medina in Olympic surfing
Japan's Kanoa Igarashi shocked surfing world number one Gabriel Medina on Tuesday, landing a stunning aerial move to beat the Brazilian in the Tokyo Olympics semi-finals.
Igarashi looked to have little hope of catching Medina with just over six minutes left of their 30-minute contest, with the gold-medal favourite leading after a typically audacious manoeuvre.
But home favourite Igarashi went one better, launching himself into an aerial 360 that he landed to score a whopping 9.33 -- enough to leapfrog Medina for a place in the final.
"In the air, I felt like I was coaching myself through it -- I felt my heart and my lungs and just braced for landing. I felt like I was a gymnast more than a surfer," said Igarashi.
"As soon as I landed it, I knew it was the biggest moment of my career."
Igarashi will face Brazilian Italo Ferreira in the final later Tuesday, after organisers moved medal events forward a day to capitalise on waves whipped up by an approaching tropical storm.
In the women's final, American world number one Carissa Moore will take on Bianca Buitendag, after the unheralded South African upset Caroline Marks of the US in the semi-finals.
Igarashi almost did not make it after Medina took a seemingly impregnable lead with a daredevil move that he celebrated with an impudent shoulder shrug.
"I was just surprised I got an opportunity," said Igarashi, whose father grew up surfing on the same beach, around 100 kilometres (60 miles) east of Tokyo.
"I went for as big of an air as I could and landed it. That was a pretty crucial moment."
Ferreira, the 2019 world champion, beat Australia's Owen Wright in the second semi-final.
Igarashi kicked off the day by eliminating Kolohe Andino, the last American left in the men's competition, and the US suffered a further blow when Marks lost to Buitendag in the women's semi-finals.
The South African -- seeded 17 out of 20 surfers -- had already bundled out Australian seven-time world champion Stephanie Gilmore on Monday.
And the giant-killer claimed another scalp when she toppled world number six Marks.
"Still the underdog -- not much has changed," said Buitendag.
"A lot of things are falling into place, all at the same time. I don't believe in luck, so I guess there's some sort of plan here and I'm yet to see how it turns out."
Moore beat Japan's Amuro Tsuzuki to join Buitendag in the final.
"I think the thing that's the most difficult about these kind of conditions is there's no defined peak," said Moore.
"There's no one spot that all the waves are coming in, so it's very random. Just having so much out of your control can be very difficult at times."
(责任编辑:行业动态)
- Ruling bloc divided on foreign nannies' pay
- Father named suspect in death of teenage girl found as skeleton corpse
- Action film star Steven Seagal is now a Russian citizen
- A Steve Ballmer Story That Helps Explain Microsoft
- LG Display starts production of advanced OLED displays for gaming
- 尝“鲜”盛宴,等你来探!2024年清远西牛麻竹笋尝鲜季即将启幕
- Grandpa Biden and Trump fighting memes are the only thing that can save America
- The People Who Only Play One Video Game
- Azarenka 'devastated' by violence 'against and in Ukraine'
- Understanding Relational vs. Non
- YouTubers from this country are killing it, thanks to the rest of the world
- Scheffler credits Ryder Cup experience for recent form
- Father named suspect in death of teenage girl found as skeleton corpse
-
13 Astronomical Clocks Connecting Time And Space
Composed of intricate dials and mechanisms, astronomical clocks more closely resemble eclectic works ...[详细] -
'I would probably be in jail': Serena
LOS ANGELES:Twenty-three time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams said she would have faced far hars ...[详细] -
How porn can help stop the toxic sexual culture behind #MeToo
When we talk about porn's relationship to #MeToo, we tend to focus on the negative. But one woman is ...[详细] -
The People Who Only Play One Video Game
Video games are changing. Increasingly, we're seeing a subset of players focus their attention on on ...[详细] -
13 Unbelievable Underwater Wonders in Florida
A must for any aquatic adventurer is a visit to the City of Mermaids at Weeki Wachee, which offers a ...[详细] -
PSG lose at Nice ahead of Real visit
PARIS:Paris Saint-Germain lost 1-0 at Nice in Ligue 1 on Saturday ahead of next week's trip to R ...[详细] -
Despite what you've maybe read, Apple -- true story-- ain't perfect. Far from it. Even its fanciest ...[详细]
-
Scheffler credits Ryder Cup experience for recent form
LOS ANGELES:Scottie Scheffler arrives at The Players Championship this week brimming with confidence ...[详细] -
Best smart home deal: The Amazon Smart Thermostat is just $63.99
SAVE 20%: The Amazon Smart Thermostat is on sale for $63.99 at Amazon, down from the normal price of ...[详细] -
Grandpa Biden and Trump fighting memes are the only thing that can save America
Political strategy in the Trump era is apparently two grandfathers threatening to fight each other. ...[详细]
- The OLED Burn
- The Rise and Fall of AMD
- Young Diplomats Academy lifts lid on envoy’s world
- Kazakhstan imports look to keep Russian accent on Davis Cup
- [Herald Review] Tori Kelly thrills fans, hints her love for Korean artists
- Think Facebook is the only company watching you? Think again.
- US tells its citizens not to visit North Korea