Kanoa Igarashi became the first Japanese surfer to win an elite World Surf League's Championship Tour event on Saturday, when he topped the men's competition at the Corona Bali Protected.

Igarashi, a medal hopeful at next year's Tokyo Olympics, earned 15.10 points in his final heat, beating France's Jeremy Flores by 0.47 points on the Indonesian resort island of Bali.

With the win, Igarashi placed No. 2 in the men's Championship Tour rankings. The Championship Tour consists of 11 events, with 10 men earning a berth for the 2020 Summer Games based on their tour rankings.