KEY POINTS:
Gisborne's Maz Quinn continued to lead from the front for the New Zealand surfing team at the World Surfing Games at Costa da Caparica, Portugal.
Quinn was second in the third round of qualifying and is through to the last 16, which is stacked with talent from Australia, Brazil, US, Venezuela, Tahiti and Costa Rica.
The New Zealand team had another day of mixed results with both female surfers and Luke Cederman (Raglan) being relegated to the repecharge rounds in the small 1m waves.
Up against 2001 world champion CJ Hobgood (US), Quinn went wave for wave completing huge power gauges to rack up a score of 13.63 points compared with Hobgood's 14.43. Together the two surfers relegated Charly Martin (France) and Klee Strachan (South Africa) to the repecharge rounds.
"Turn for turn Maz was the equal of any surfer out there today," said New Zealand coach Cory Scott.
"At this stage of the event the level of surfing is so high that it comes down to who gets the best waves. That is what Maz will need to concentrate on in the coming rounds."
Quinn now faces World Tour surfer Kai Otten (Australia), Dillon Perillo (US) and Heath Joske (Australia) in qualifying round 4.
Cederman was fourth in qualifying round 3 after teenage Tahitian surfer Tamaroa McComb blew away his opponents with an 18.17 scoreline - the highest of the event to date.
World Tour surfer Ben Bourgeois (US) also progressed through the heat.
Zennor Wernham (Raglan) was a standout in his repecharge heat, scoring 15.33 to easily move through to the second round. Wernham posted scores of 8.33 and 7.0 for his best two waves and will need to find the same form to progress through rounds two and three.
A disappointed Leon Santorik (Raglan) was the first New Zealand team member to be eliminated from the event after he lost a close heat in repecharge round one.
Jessica Santorik (Raglan) and Daisy Thomas (Christchurch) surfed two heats in the women's division.
While Santorik lost her first heat, she progressed through her repecharge round, scoring 11.0 points. On the other hand Thomas placed second in her first heat but then fourth in her second heat.
Despite the different routes the girls have taken, they find themselves pitted against one another in repecharge round two next time they hit the water. They will face Easkey Britton (Ireland) and Sonja Honsch (Germany).
The bodyboarders and longboard surfer Daryn Mcbride (Mt Maunganui) had lay days.
