Kolohe Andino rides a wave at the World Surf League Surf Ranch Pro on Sept. 7, 2018 in Lemoore, Calif.
Kolohe Andino once again came close but is still searching for his first World Surf League Men’s Championship Tour victory.
The 25-year-old from San Clemente, California, faced off against Brazil’s Italo Ferreira in the final of the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast in Australia on Monday and Ferreira edged Andino by the slimmest of margins with a score of 12.57 to Andino’s 12.43. Ferreira scored a 7.07 on his final wave as time expired to pull out the win. Waves were in the 1- to 4-foot range on Monday after the scheduled final rounds were postponed from Sunday.
The runner-up spot is nonetheless Andino’s best finish since the 2017 season. Last year, his high mark was third place and, in 2017, he finished second once and third three times, but going back to his rookie year on the tour in 2012, he still has been unable to break through to capture the top spot.
Ferreira, meanwhile, enjoyed a breakout season in 2018 with three wins after a number of near-misses following his rookie season in 2015.
Andino beat fellow Americans Seth Moniz in the quarterfinals and John John Florence in the semifinals to reach the final in his first competition of the season.
Surfing will make its Olympic debut in Tokyo in 2020.
Karen Price is a reporter from Pittsburgh who has covered Olympic sports for various publications. She is a freelance contributor to TeamUSA.org on behalf of Red Line Editorial, Inc.