On September 9, the Hangzhou, China team, making their first appearance in the Red Bull Qiantang River Surfing Challenge, competed in the first preliminary match against the tournament favorites, the United States Hawaii team. As the first Chinese surfer to compete in the Red Bull Qiantang River Surfing Challenge, Chen Dongming showcased the strength of Chinese surfers through a remarkable 6-minute ride on the waves. His teammate, Phillip Macdonald, even caught an extremely rare barrel wave on the Qiantang River, performing an impressive "dance with the barrel" amid the powerful tidal bore.
During the pre-event briefing, the organizing committee decided by coin toss that the United States Hawaii team would surf first. This excited the bold surfers O’Brien and Sterling, whose performances indeed proved the top-tier strength of the favored team. “I did really well today—I pulled off a move I think will score high. The wave was nearly three meters high, and I did a vertical maneuver facing the wave, followed by a cutback, then rode up and down the face,” said O’Brien confidently after the heat. Sterling, who had been “hiding his best moves” before the event, was also proud: “The Hangzhou team did well, but we did better. I got as close to the wave as I could, then leaned forward and popped up—I think that move deserves a good score.”
However, the Hangzhou team saw it differently. Macdonald was lucky enough to catch a once-in-a-decade barrel wave during the preliminary round. “Chen Dongming dropped me into the wave at just the right moment, and then the wave suddenly became much more intense. Halfway down the face, it started to pitch forward, and I rode its curve to the lip, then carved down the wave and finished with a turn,” recalled Macdonald.
Although judges are not allowed to reveal scores until all four teams have competed, Judge Mike Downey couldn’t help but share some details about Macdonald’s impressive move: “That was a really beautiful maneuver. Yesterday, during the warm-up, O’Brien did an incredible move on a big wave, and today Macdonald’s run was almost on par with that.” Yesterday, O’Brien’s “epic air” earned unanimous high praise from the judges, with potential scores as high as 9.5 out of 10 for a single maneuver. From Downey’s comments, it’s clear that Macdonald’s barrel ride will also score highly.
Inspired by Macdonald, Chinese surfer Chen Dongming also performed strongly. He attempted three rides in the water—though he missed the first two waves, on the third he caught it perfectly and delivered a 6-minute performance. “The waves were huge, and my board and I were launched into the air four times. All I could do was block out distractions and focus on executing my moves. So I did some big turns, crossovers all the way to the nose, then a hanging five. Time felt slow, and afterward, my muscles were sore and I was completely exhausted—it’s rare to get waves that hold up for so long out at sea.”
Reflecting on the day’s performance, Macdonald said afterward, “Including training sessions, this was our sixth time in the water, so we’re more tired than the others. Chen Dongming did really well—he got me into the wave smoothly. We spotted that barrel during practice, and today I finally caught it, making up for missing out before. Overall, we did well today.” After making his official competition debut, Chen Dongming was thrilled. “I’m really happy to have earned this valuable opportunity to compete, and I’m satisfied with how I did today. But I also saw the gap between us, and I’ll keep improving. I also hope more Chinese people can take part in Qiantang River surfing, so the world’s top surfers can see that we can surf just as well.”
In his closing remarks, Judge Downey said, “Everyone enjoyed today’s competition—the four athletes all put on great performances. Chen Dongming also did very well. After days of training, he’s proven he belongs among top-level competitors.” Asked if either team had a chance to advance to the finals, Downey added, “Today’s waves were excellent, allowing both teams to perform at their best, so tomorrow the other two teams will need to bring their A-game.”
According to the competition format, the four teams will compete in pairs during the preliminary rounds. On September 10, the Australia Queensland team and the United States California team will take the stage. After two days of competition, the top two teams with the highest combined scores will advance to the finals on September 11, the 18th day of the eighth lunar month.