Cardiff surfer Richie Cravey was the men’s winner at the World Surf League’s Coastal Edge Steel Pier Classic in Virginia Beach, Virginia on May 29. With the victory, Cravey also claimed the 2023 North America Regional Longboard Title, earning his place on the 2023 Longboard Tour where he will compete for a world title.
“Coming out with a win is more than I could ask for,” said Cravey, 34, in a news release.
Cravey’s first-ever WSL win came after weather issues nearly forced the event to be canceled. He went wave-for-wave against his competitors in early heats before going on a “dream run” through the quarterfinals, semis and posting the best single-wave score and heat total, a 16.17, in the finals.
Up next for Cravey will be his Longboard Tour debut later this year.
“I’ve wanted to surf against (the Longboard Tour) guys for a long time,” said Cravey in the news release. “There’s a lot of good surfers in the world and the WSL events tend to cultivate some of those surfers. They’re not just great surfers, they’re great competitors and competing is different than just surfing. So to be able to compete with the world’s best feels really good.”
Source : EA