The race to be crowned 2019 World Surf League Men’s Champions Tour winner is heating after passing the midway point in the season, with less than two points separating first and third place.
Three consecutive podium finishes sees Kolohe Andino lead the standings on 33.845 points, but Brazilian Filipe Toledo—who finished third in last year’s Tour—sits just 0.565 points below in second.
Considering his slim lead with five events remaining on the schedule, current leader Andino, 25, is only third at 4/1 (5.00) with Unibet. The Tour travels to Taiarapu on August 21 for the Tahiti Pro Teahupo’o, and Toledo, 24, rates as a 2/1 (3.00) favourite heading into the business end of this season.
Despite the fact he sits seventh in the standings and more than six points from the summit, defending champions Gabriel Medina, 24, is sandwiched between those contenders at 3/1 (4.00).
The two-time Tour winner (2014, ’18) clinched his first WSL victory of 2019 at the recent J-Bay Open in South Africa, and three fifth-place finishes also keep him in the conversation to retain his trophy:
2019 WSL Men’s Championship Tour Odds Leaders
Filipe Toledo: 2/1 (3.00)
Gabriel Medina: 3/1 (4.00)
Kolohe Andino: 4/1 (5.00)
Italo Ferreira: 4/1 (5.00)
Jordy Smith: 9/1 (10.00)
