Tonino Benson of the Big Island and Alessa Quizon of Wai'anae led Hawai'i to a third-place finish in the International Surfing Association World Junior Championships yesterday.

The final day of the eight-day contest was completed in 3- to 5-foot waves at Caparica Beach, Portugal.

Benson placed fifth in the boys 18 division. He had a chance to reach the championship heat, but came up one point short in the semifinals.

Benson won the boys 16 division world championship in 2005.

Quizon placed fifth in the girls 18 division. Needing a 5.34 to advance to the championship heat, Quizon received a score of 5.07 to fall short in the closing minutes of the semifinals.

Australia won the overall team competition with 6,508 points. Brazil was second with 5,018, and Hawai'i was third with 4,392. New Zealand placed fourth and the United States was fifth.

More than 260 surfers representing 28 countries participated in the event.

Because of its historical significance in the sport, Hawai'i is recognized as a separate nation by the ISA.

Individual world champions were Jadson Andre of Brazil in the boys 18 division, Garrett Parkes of Australia in the boys 16 division, and Sally Fitzgibbons of Australia in the girls 18 division.

Two other Hawai'i surfers had top 10 finishes: Dylan Goodale of Kaua'i placed eighth in the boys 16 division, and Kai Barger of Maui placed eighth in the boys 18 division.

Hawai'i won a special tag-team heat, defeating Australia.

The ISA World Junior Championships is held at a different site ever year. It is considered the world championship contest for amateur surfers age 18 and younger.

ANDY IRONS ADVANCES TO QUARTERS IN TAHITI

Andy Irons defeated Pancho Sullivan in an all-Hawai'i matchup in the fourth round of the Billabong Pro Tahiti yesterday.

The third and fourth rounds of the contest were completed in 3- to 4-foot waves at Teahupoo, Tahiti.

Irons, a three-time former world champion from Kaua'i, opened the heat with an 8.17 (out of 10) and held the lead for the entire 35-minute heat. In the final tally, Irons' two best waves scored a total of 14.44 points to Sullivan's 13.93.

Irons is scheduled to face Australia's Joel Parkinson in the quarterfinals. He is the only Hawai'i surfer remaining in the contest.

Two other Hawai'i surfers were eliminated on Saturday: Fred Patacchia Jr. lost in the second round, and Bruce Irons lost in the third round.

World champion Kelly Slater of Florida was upset and eliminated in the fourth round yesterday by Jeremy Flores of France.