Kolohe Andino of San Clemente put in a valiant effort at the US Open of Surfing
By Andrea Swayne
Kolohe Andino, 19, of San Clemente finished as runner-up at the Vans US Open of Surfing I Huntington Beach last Sunday behind Brazil’s Alejo Muniz by a slim 1.69-point margin.
After a string of masterful performances in preliminary rounds, Andino’s semifinal heat against Australian Bede Durbidge continued to build on his early momentum, further igniting the hopes of fans. Squarely in command during the entire semi, Andino bested Durbidge with a two-wave score of 14.00 (out of 20) to 11.76, to move on to face Muniz in the final.
Despite a valiant effort by Andino, when the final horn of the surfing world’s largest stage sounded, Muniz was declared the winner, having earned a two-wave score of 16.23 to Andino’s 14.54.
Andino graciously congratulated Muniz in an Association of Surfing Professionals interview following the heat.
“He surfed amazing all week,” Andino said of his opponent. “It would have been nice to win, but I just couldn’t find a second wave and I’m happy that I made the final.”
The second-place finish moves Andino up to No. 9 on the ASP world rankings.
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