Keanu Asing and Ezekiel Lau have a relationship that dates back to their earliest days in the lineup. The two Hawaiians have been competing against each other since they were just eight years old and in the years since, they've been pushing each other to perform and leaning on each other when it counts.
Keanu Asing has worked his way back to pro surfing's bright lights after battling back on the Qualifying Series in 2017. - WSL / Tony Heff
Keanu qualified for the Championship Tour back in 2015, and won his first Championship Tour event at the Quiksilver Pro France in 2016, but even that victory couldn't prevent him from missing the requalification cut that year. In 2017, he was back on the Qualifying Series, slugging it out.
While Keanu was on the Championship Tour Lau was still busy trying to break through. Finally, last year, the same year Keanu fell off, Zeke finally got his crack as a Championship Tour rookie. The highlight of his CT season was a second place at Bells Beach, but he struggled elsewhere, and midway through the season he was in real danger of missing the requalification cut.
Keanu was right there chairing Zeke up the beach during his QS victory in Spain. - WSL / WSL/MASUREL
By year's end, however, both Keanu and Zeke succeeded in securing Championship Tour slots for the 2018 season, and they're both older and wiser as a result. Being together on surfing's biggest stage is a dream come true for this dangerous Hawaiian duo, and the Championship Tour is better for it.