Filipino wildcards Tokong and Alciso eliminated from WSL Philippines Pro at Cloud 9

Filipino wildcards John Mark "Marama" Tokong and Jayuard Alciso are out of the World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour Philippines Pro after losing their heats at Cloud 9 on Monday morning, according to Edge Davao.

Tokong, the Siargao native dubbed the "King of Cloud 9," came into his heat on the back of a memorable win in the previous round. He could not keep pace with Australian Ethan Ewing, ranked seventh in the world, and finished with 11.54 points to Ewing's 14.50.

After the loss, Tokong said he valued the chance to surf against someone he looks up to, calling Ewing "one of my idols." He also spoke about how surfing has helped draw international tourists to Siargao, and said he hoped the close ties among residents and local businesses would endure as the island grows as a destination. "This is why I love our island because the community is so good," he said.

Alciso, a bronze medalist at last month's Asian Games, faced a familiar opponent in Japan's Kanoa Igarashi, who took gold at the same continental event. Igarashi built his lead with wave scores of 6.67 and 6.23 on his third and fourth rides for a 12.90 total.

Alciso tried to rally late in the 30-minute heat, but his final wave earned 4.17 points, leaving him well short of Igarashi's score.

Igarashi praised the Filipino after the heat, describing him as an amazing talent and noting that Alciso had a strong heat the day before.

Under the event's prize structure, eliminated surfers are guaranteed US$13,000, or about P830,000, while the eventual champion will take home US$80,000, approximately P5.1 million, Edge Davao reported.