American surfer Kolohe Andino nails highest-scoring maneuver, celebrates with throat-slashing gesture

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CHIBA, Japan — Surfing got rad at the Olympics on Monday.

On a windy day with sizable waves, American Kolohe Andino pulled off the highest-scoring maneuver yet during the sport’s Olympic debut. He sprung off the lip of a wave, grabbed his surfboard with his front hand, landed on the board’s tail and reversed the board as he finished out the ride.

Slob frontside air reverse.

That’s what the move is called, and it earned Andino 8.5 points and propelled him to victory over fellow American John John Florence.

Andino, 27, also dropped some surfing lingo while describing the 30-minute heat that pitted him against Florence, a two-time world champion.

“…just really rad and one for the history books,’’ he said, using rad once more while leaving an interview session with reporters.

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The slob frontside air reverse came on Andino’s first wave, just 30 seconds into the 30-minute heat, and Andino celebrated with a throat-slashing gesture.

“It was like cutting the snake off the head in the first 10 seconds,’’ said Andino, a native of San Clemente, Calif. “I was just overwhelmed with emotions and that’s what I ended up doing.’’

Florence said he didn’t see the maneuver or the throat slash. He was looking for waves to ride.

“I just heard the score come out,’’ said Florence, 28, a resident of Hawaii. “And so I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh, what did he do?’

“It’s all about the challenge it makes. So you’re in the heat and you’re sitting there and like, ‘OK, I’ve got to do something big.’ “

Both Americans have been rehabilitating from injuries, with Andino having undergone surgery for an ankle he injured in March and Florence having had surgery for a torn ACL in his left knee about 10 weeks before the Tokyo Games began.

They still managed to impress.

After lackluster opening day for surfing Sunday, the swell on Monday produced choppy surf and some waves that were six feet high at Tsurigasaki Surfing Beach, about 40 miles outside of Tokyo. The Americans put on a show – rad, you might say – before Andino prevailed 14.83 to 11.60 and earned a spot in the quarterfinals on Tuesday.

“I think John and I both out there, our best surfing is aerial surfing,’’ he said. “It was going to be an air show no matter what.’’

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tokyo Olympics surfing: American Kolohe Andino hits rad move in round