Just a half step behind Keito, Kaito Ohashi also finished equal ninth last year at the Oakley Pro Junior Global Challenge in Bali, and while Keito finished rated second in the ASP Japan rankings, Kaito finished third. A very stoked Kaito gained entry into the Global Challenge as a result of the finalists in the Japanese qualifier, Nobuyuki Osawa (1st), Shota Nakamura (2nd), and Kento Takahashi (4th) foregoing their seeds to compete in the inaugural event. That said, he’s a force to be reckoned with, and happily taking his island home from surfing obscurity to the world’s stage. A free-flowing goofy-footer, Kaito’s power game is just now starting to find its footing. If 2008 was his coming out party, 2009 could just see the arrival of Japan’s answer to Occy.