Meanwhile, Kai Odriozola will have to compete in the repechage after falling in the second round. All Basque competitors have secured their passage to the next phase in the men's second round.
Hans Odriozola was the first of the three to enter the water, competing in the second heat. The younger of the two brothers from San Sebastián had a tougher time qualifying today than in the first round, with the heat being decided in the final seconds. All four competitors fought until the end to secure one of the two spots for the next phase. El Salvador's Bryan Perez advanced as the heat winner with a score of 10.63, followed by Hans with 10.57 points. Taipei's surfer Chia Chi Yu was eliminated with 10.27, and Samoa's surfer Liam Wilson with 6.44.
Ruben Vitoria had to fight a bit less, as he advanced more comfortably to the next round, although he needed to catch six waves to secure his spot. The heats are becoming more challenging, and reading the Peruvian waves is not easy. In any case, the surfer from Zarautz has taken another step towards his goal of continuing in the main competition. His best waves were scored at 10.66, allowing him to advance as the heat winner, followed by South Africa's Ntokozo Maphumulo (8.86), Canada's Reed Platenius (7.9), and the Netherlands' Oliver Rijssenbeek (7.37).
The day for the Basque surfers concluded with Kai Odriozola. The elder of the brothers did not have his best day, finishing fourth in his heat, which means he will have to compete in the repechage. The heat did not offer many opportunities to shine, and Kai's attempts to perform aerial maneuvers did not yield the expected results. Kai faced local surfer Lucca Mesinas, a two-time Olympian, who won the heat with 14.4 points. Colombia's Romeo Chavez scored 10.97, Costa Rica's Oscar Urbina 10.3, and Kai finished the heat with 4.93.
