Rogelio “Jay-R’” Esquivel. –United Philippine Surfing Association Facebook page:
Rogelio “Jay-R” Esquivel used precision maneuvering and took advantage of cooperative waves to bag a bronze medal in the International Surfing Association World Longboard Championships.
“I’m really glad with my performance. I’m getting better at what I do,” said Esquivel in Filipino after arriving in Manila on Tuesday and paying a courtesy call to Philippine Sports Commission Chair Richard Bachmann and PSC Commissioner Fritz Gaston.
Esquivel came home straight from El Salvador, where he reached the podium together with the world’s best at the El Sunzal Resort.
When the world meet was held two years ago at Surf City in the same country, Esquivel placed fourth in the men’s longboard, putting the San Juan, La Union surfer in the middle of the global conversation.
He did more than that this time around, as the reigning La Union International Pro Longboard Qualifying Series champion for three consecutive years, established himself as a legitimate contender for the crown.
Team bronze
“I hope to make it there at the top someday. There’s still so much room for improvement,” said Esquivel after raking in 730 points in that third-place output among 61 world-class competitors who navigated curling waves that rose to as high as four feet.
The 28-year-old surfer, who picked up the sport when he was just six years old, finished behind men’s individual champion Edouard Delpero of France (1000pts) and silver medalist Rodrigo Sphaier (860) of Brazil.
The Philippines also clinched bronze in the longboard team event.
Crisanto Villanueva, Mara Lopez and Daisy Lopez joined hands with Esquivel in amassing a third-best 2,288 points against 44 other nations that showcased the finest from Asian powerhouse Japan, South Korea, Chinese-Taipei and Thailand, among others.
“Thank you for bringing our Philippine surfing to the world’s grand stage. We are all proud of Jay-R and the entire team,” said United Philippines Surfing Association president Dr. Jose Canlas.
France secured its fourth team title with 2,865 points, with the United States bagging the silver with 2,335 points.
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“We went from fourth place to third. We’ll try our best to improve some more, so by the time the next world championship comes, we’ll be ready,” said Esquivel. INQ
