Top Seeds Shine at the ASP 4-Star Rip Curl Girls Pro in Peru

After a lay day on Friday, competition resumed at the ASP 4-Star Rip Curl Girls Pro Qualifying Series presented by Powerade. Waves in the 2-3 foot range (1 meter) greeted the event's top seeds as they hit the water to complete the Round of 32 in San Bartolo, Lima, Peru. During Heat 6 on Saturday, Demi Boelsterli (USA) secured a 16.60 (out of 20) for the highest heat score of the competition so far.

“I'm so happy to have gotten the day's high scores and for making it into the next round,” said Demi Boelsterli. “This is my first time to Peru and conditions this week have been a little difficult, but if you catch a good one, they really open up and you can get a lot done on a clean face. I really like it here in San Bartolo. The waves are strong and the beach is beautiful. Now that I've gotten that first heat out of the way, I hope to finish off strong tomorrow and get a good result.”

Despite having claimed the WCT Women's World Title in 2004, Sofia Mulanovich (PER) confessed to feeling uneasy before facing her opposition at the Rip Curl Girls Pro.

“I got in the water feeling really nervous because I haven't competed in such a long time,” said Sofia Mulanovich. “I rushed to catch the first few waves that came in, plus riding in front of my home crowd got me feeling a little on edge. The talent level here is intense and I'm glad to see young Peruvians like Miluska Tello and Melanie Giunta pushing their level and elevating my own as well. I hope we all do well and have an all-Peruvian final.”

By winning Heat 1 of the Round of 32, Silvana Lima (BRA) obtained enough points on her WQS ranking to make it into the group of the top six surfers that will qualify for the 2015 ASP Women's WCT.

“I was in the first heat of the day and the sets were taking a really long time, but I was able to get a 7.0 on a good one that got me through to the Round of 16,” said Silvana Lima. “I hope to earn at least 1,000 ranking points in this event. I'm going to compete in all of the WQS events this year because I want to get back onto the WCT and I'm going to do my best to reach my goal.”

True to her statement, Lima also took home an extra U$ 500 by winning the Cyzone Expression Session after competition was put on hold due to high tide. When competition resumed, local surfer and 2013 Rip Curl Girls event winner, Anali Gomez (PER) came out victorious in her heat and was able to keep her chances alive for a repeat performance.

“The waves were really small and it was tough to find any good ones in my heat,” said Anali Gomez. “Luckily, I was able to make it through along with Miho Ihara (JPN), who has been ripping all event long. I hope conditions improve tomorrow and that there'll be enough waves for everybody.”

16 surfers from seven different countries will be competing on Sunday for the final day of the ASP 4-Star Rip Curl Girls Pro Qualifying Series presented by Powerade. Silvana Lima (BRA), Miluska Tello (PER), Dominic Barona (ECU) and Miho Ihara (JPN) will face each other in Heat 1 of the Round of 16.