NAGOYA – For two days, the waves at Pacific Long Beach in Tahara, Aichi belonged to two intrepid Siargao surfers.
Then townmates and teammates Jayuard Alciso and Toby Espejon suffered heartbreaking defeats in the semifinals and were relegated to an all-Filipino showdown for the bronze in surfing’s Asian Games debut.
In their closing rides, the 21-year-old Alciso got the better of Espejon and emerged from the waters as the bronze winner – second runner-up to gold winner Kanoa Igarashi of Japan and silver medalist Made Pajar Ariyana of Indonesia.
Alciso topped Espejon, 11.64-8.90, to claim bronze – the Philippines’ 11th bronze in Aichi-Nagoya – in an all-Filipino battle that felt more like a session at home than a medal heat at an Asiad.
The numbers tell it: Alciso went 6.67 on his first wave, 4.97 on his second. Espejon answered with 4.83 and 4.07 – solid, clean, just not enough.
This is who they are, though.
Espejon came in as the country’s top-ranked surfer – No. 1 in the men’s open shortboard division in the latest UPSA rankings. Alciso was right behind him at No. 2 – Siargao’s leading shortboard competitor.
And until the upset, they were on a roll.
Espejon ended India’s first Asian Games surfing campaign, beating 18-year-old Kishore Kumar Anbarasu in the quarters, 8.53-5.37, on the strength of a 5.50 and a 3.03.
Alciso was just as busy, taking out India’s Sivaraj Babu, 11.50-7.83, in the third round to keep moving.
Before sunset yesterday, they had to decide who got the medal. Alciso bested compatriot Espejon in the bronze match at Long Beach Tahara, and in the process gave the Philippines a first – a medal in surfing’s Asiad debut.