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Trailblazer Rio Waida hoping to trigger Indonesia surfing wave
But some may now push a little harder against the tide after seeing trailblazer Rio Waida on the Championship Tour of the World Surf League.
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Indonesian surfer Rio Waida is carried by supporters after winning the Sydney Surf Pro in Manly Beach, Australia, May 24, 2022. (Reuters/Lincoln Feast)
B
ali's iconic surf breaks have nurtured generations of local talents whose dreams of going professional have invariably been dumped by the high costs of pursuing success.
But some may now push a little harder against the tide after seeing trailblazer Rio Waida on the Championship Tour of the World Surf League.
Waida became the first Indonesian and first Asia-born surfer to qualify for the peak tour last year, breaking into a club dominated by Americans, Brazilians and Australians.
As a rookie in his debut season, he made the championship's mid-year cut last month, even as American great Kelly Slater missed out and needed a wildcard from organisers to remain on the tour.
It is lofty territory for the 23-year-old, who grew up in the Balinese fishing village of Jimbaran and was once petrified of the ocean.
"It probably hasn’t changed my life much but I definitely feel more people have eyes on me," Rio told Reuters of his growing profile at home.
"So maybe there’s a bit more pressure. I feel like I have to show the good things. I can't do bad stuff.
