By JADEN ALBERTO
Veteran Rogelio “Jay-R” Esquivel Jr. conquered the varying waves of La Union to complete an amazing three-peat in the men’s edition of the World Surf League’s La Union International Pro Longboard Qualifying Series on Wednesday, Jan. 22, at the Urbiztondo Beach, La Union.
The La Union native breathtakingly danced with the waves en route to posting 15.67 out of 20 points to beat out Penny Ventura who tallied 14.84.
Now on its third year, the event attracted 32 professional surfers from across the region and neighboring countries – all hoping to secure a slot to the Asia region qualifiers for the 2025 WSL Longboard Tour.
After ending the 2024 season at No. 4, Esquivel hopes to keep his momentum going in the hopes of qualifying once again in the World Longboard Tour.
Equivel is so far the only Filipino surfer to have competed in the prestigious event.
“I’m super stoked to win this event once again. It’s been an awesome Finals Day, and this is a big win for the Philippines. This week has been extra special because I can see the local surfers improving year on year, as well as all of the other surfers from the Asia region,” said the 28-year-old.
“I love to watch them all surfers here on my home break. This is a great start to the year for me and also for the Filipino community. Hopefully, this momentum keeps going,” he added.
