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Ezekiel Lau might be taking his case against the World Surf League to court.
The Hawaii surfer is disputing the results of the Hawaiian Pro contest Monday and has hired a lawyer to help him.
Lau finished in second place to Australia’s Jack Robinson on Monday at Sunset Beach.
He met with the World Surf League on Friday to discuss a non-call — when Robinson and Lau collided early in the final. Video clearly shows Lau going into a barrel and Robinson in the flat paddling to get out of the way. He did not get out of the way and Lau clipped him after coming out of the barrel. Lau fell, thereby not finishing the wave, which is one of the judges’ criteria for a high scoring effort.
According to Leonard Lau, Ezekiel’s father, the WSL on Friday stood by its decision of a non-call, saying the situation was accidental.
Ezekiel Lau is on the outside looking in for re-qualification to the world championship tour for 2020. Had he won that event he would have gotten more points on the qualifying series. Right now, he’s ranked No. 28 on the CT (the top 22 make it next year) and No. 17 on the QS (the top 10 make the CT next year).
“The WSL unfairly treated him in the final heat,” Leonard Lau said. “This result could be a career changer for him. The WSL needs to be held accountable for their negligent behavior. He needs our state and community support right now. “
Efforts to reach the WSL for comment Friday were unsuccessful.
“We are proceeding with an official appeal of the decision to the WSL office and have acquired a lawyer,” Leonard Lau said.
