John Mark "Marama" Tokong's WSL Mission to be the First Filipino in the WSL Challenger Series
(UPDATED: MARCH 28, 2023)
Congratulations Marama on qualifying for the Challenger Series (CS)! This is a massive deal for the surfing community in the Philippines because he is now the first ever Filipino to qualify, and if he achieves a top 10 ranking of the CS, he will get through to the prestigious Championship Tour.
During the first Australian qualifying event, the VISSLA & SISSTREVOLUTION CENTRAL COAST PRO QS3000, Marama proved himself a strong contender and reached the round of 16, while all other competitors from the Asia region were eliminated before him. This event allowed him to maintain his spot at the top 5 of the Asian region,
Now, the BURTON AUTOMOTIVE PRO & SPEAKING IN COLOR PRO QS5000 is finished. Marama entered straight into the round of 64 thanks to his solid ranking. It was an intense heat, and Marama charged as usual. Yet, he did not gain enough points to go through to the next round. A successful landing of an aerial on one of his waves could have been enough for him to advance to the next round.
Despite this, Marama’s scoring was high enough to secure his place on the CS. The other surfers from the region did not score enough points to displace Marama’s strong ranking.
After a massive win in the recently held Hyuga Pro QS3000 in Japan, John Mark "Marama" Tokong's ranking has jumped and is now currently ranked 4th in Asia.
WSL Qualifying Series Asia rankings as of 02:00, March 12, 2023.
Siargao’s very own John Mark "Marama" Tokong will have to keep up his pace — and possibly, even go beyond — at these upcoming events in Australia in order to secure his spot for the WSL Challenger Series. Only the top 5 men’s surfers (plus 1 wild card) will qualify — giving Marama the opportunity to become the first-ever Filipino to advance onto the Challenger Series.
Marama's air supremacy over Japanese beach breaks.
He then needs to compete in the Challenger Series for a year and then qualify for the WSL Championship Tour, which is the world’s highest-level surfing league. Now more than ever, we need to show our support for the chance to have the Philippines up there on the international stage
Marama celebrates his victory at the whitebuffalo Hyugo Pro QS3000 in Japan.
Stay tuned for updates as we bring you the latest on the upcoming events:
➡ March 13-18: VISSLA & SISSTREVOLUTION CENTRAL COAST PRO
➡ March 20-26: BURTON AUTOMOTIVE PRO & SPEAKING IN COLOUR PRO
Be sure to check www.worldsurfleague.com for the latest competition news and updates!