By JP Pasaylo
Contributor
TWO Siargao surfers continue to dominate in the ongoing World Surfing Games (WSG) in El Salvador, edging closer to their dreams of securing the most coveted slots for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
John Mark “Marama” Tokong and Nilbie Blancada finished their respective match assignments in the men’s and women’s division, securing the top spots of their respective heats.
With each logging in one lose on their last three matches, it is a tall order for the trio to reach the finishing line of the WSG, the final qualifying rounds for the Tokyo Olympics for surfing.
Team Philippines sent a six-man team to El Salvador to participate in the prestigious world surfing event with the mission of getting a slot for the country for the Olympics.
Three of them were not able to move past their heat assignments, namely, Edito Alcala Jr. (Siargao), Rogelio Esquievel Jr. (La Union), and Vea Estrellado (Sorsogon).
Surfing will make its debut at the Olympics in Tokyo next month. A total of 20 slots, both for men’s and women’s division, were allocated in the historic inauguration of surfing as Olympic sports.
As of this writing, only 12 slots (five men, seven women) are up for grabs at the ongoing WSG, which started on May 31 and will end this June 6.
A total of 256 elite surfers from around the world, 121 of them women, are currently in WSG.
