Cornwall, last Thursday, was one of those days. Solid swell, offshores, sunshine, but tricky finding anywhere pumping. Big tides meant anywhere that was on, wasn’t on for very long. Still, with a full day of decent weather it was a treat to be on the sand at 5:45am and still be there, albeit at a different beach, at 8pm…
In the course of the day we managed to bump into Ben Skinner, Markie Lascelles, Josh Ward, Skippy, Ben Howard, Owain Davies, Stoker, Mr B and Reubyn Ash amongst others. Just nice to see everyone out loving the warmth and the waves.
Markie
Skindog
Skindog
Ben and Ben
Skindog
Ben Howard
Josh Ward
Reubs
Reubs
Car park crew
Seagull view
Tyler Wright (AUS)has won the Drug Aware Margaret River Pro today, defeating Courtney Conlogue (USA) in pumping 6 to 8 foot (2 – 2.5 metre) waves at Main Break in Western Australia.
The third stop on the 2016 Samsung Galaxy WSL Championship Tour, the Drug Aware Margaret River Pro, saw firing conditions today with the world’s best surfers battling to secure a solid finish on the last stop of the Australian leg.
The Final match-up witnessed the ultimate throw-down between Wright and Conlogue. Wright unleashed a variety of maneuvers to lock in an 8.93 to take the lead ahead of Conlogue. Wright strengthened her score with a barrel for a 9.60 to put the defending event Champion in a combination situation halfway through the Final. Wright continued to put up solid numbers to back up her 18.53 two-wave combined score. Conlogue, who has won three Titles as this event, struggled to find the scores to combat the Australian. In the last forty-five seconds a set wave came out the back. Using priority, Conlogue needed a near-perfect 9.97, but was not able to complete the ride to earn the score.
“I knew Courtney was just dropping 9-point rides every heat, so I knew I had to be smart in selecting my waves and turns and not get over excited,” Wright said. “Every wave I had felt dreamy. This event was easy for me. No massive mental challenges, so I was really stoked on that and the happy headspace I’ve been in.”
“I feel like everyone sees me one of one right now, and other people see me as one of five, but really I am one of a thousand,” continued Wright.” I have so many people I need to thank for contributing to my success. At the end of the day it is about the love for what I do and my family. This is really for them as much as for me.”
Although Conlogue will end her run with a 2nd place finish, she will continue to wear the Jeep Leaders Jersey into the next event as she remains in the 1st place position on the rankings. Throughout the competition, Conlogue continued to demonstrate a strong and consistent performance, as this marks her third straight final in the 2016 Championship Tour.
“I think if I started the leg off knowing I would get these results, I would have been stoked,” Conlogue said. “Obviously I wanted the win, but I am really stoked for Tyler. She had a great performance in that heat. I was just trying to get myself back in the game at the end there and was stoked to get a second shot. I am stoked to head into Brazil with the Jeep Leaders Jersey.”
Carissa Moore (HAW), three-time WSL Champion and last year’s event runner-up, was not able to advance to the Finals against Wright. Moore blazed out the gates to secure the lead against Wright with a 14.77 through the halfway mark. Wright, needing a 7.27, answered with a 7.57 in the last two minutes of the heat. Moore found a wave out the back, but was not able to complete the ride to defeat Wright.
Semifinal 1 saw Conlogue defeat Tatiana Weston-Webb (HAW). Conlogue fired with an 8.17 backed up by a massive 9.27 against the Hawaiian. Weston-Webb was put in a combination situation with a 12.17 two-wave combined score. Weston-Webb was not able to find the waves to challenge Conlogue and will exit the competition with a 3rd place finish.
Heat 4 of the Quarterfinals witnessed a superheat between Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), six-time WSL Champion, and Wright. Wright threw down two 8-point rides to put Gilmore in a combination situation. Gilmore was not able to find the waves to combat Wright’s scores, and will end her run at Margaret River with a 5th place finish.
“Earlier this morning I broke my favorite board and corked my arm a bit, so I was probably paddling a bit slower than I had hoped, but no excuses, there are great waves out there,” Gilmore said. “I was always going to wait for the second waves of the set, but Tyler would take the first ones and they seemed to be better. She is just so strong. I went down a board to a 5’10” and that was probably a bad idea. I probably should have gone up to a bit bigger. I will still keep pushing and nothing is impossible yet, but we will see.”
Weston-Webb eliminated Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) in the opening heat of the Quarterfinals. Fitzgibbons got off to a slow start, while Weston-Webb locked in a solid score. Weston-Webb continued to better her scores throughout the heat to put Fitzgibbons in a combination situation and eliminate her from the competition.
“I did not really anticipate that one to go that way,” Fitzgibbons said. “It just really ran away from me. I paddled out and felt good, especially after the momentum up until the Quarterfinals, but it just felt like there were a lot of waves in the ocean, but I wasn’t on the good ones. Tatiana picked those nice ones with the walls and ran away with those 7s.”
The Men’s Quarterfinals saw a close match-up between Italo Ferreira (BRA) and Kolohe Andino (USA). Ferreira pulled out all the stops against Andino to secure a 17.96 two-wave combined score. Ferreira kept the pressure on Andino by forcing him into a combination situation. Andino was not able to turn in two new scores to get out of the combination. Ferreira also defeat CT heavyweight Gabriel Medina (BRA) in Heat 5 to make his way to the Semifinals.
Julian Wilson (AUS) dominated his heat against injury replacement Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA) to end his upset streak at Margaret River. Wilson showed why he is a Title contender with his back-to-back high scoring rides, including a 9.50 and an 8.67. Fioravanti fought hard to regain the lead, but was stuck in a combination situation. Joel Parkinson (AUS) charged through the opening heat of the Men’s Quarterfinals against Nat Young (USA). Parkinson kept his clean lines to secure solid scores, including a massive tube that earned him an 8.00. Young earned a 14.24 two-wave combined score, but fell only 1.59 points short of defeating Parkinson.
“There is a bit of buzz around the event right now because everyone thinks we might have a chance at the Box tomorrow,” Parkinson said. “Whatever it is we will get the waves tomorrow. Main Break was pumping today, but fingers crossed we will get to go to the Box.”
Matt Wilkinson (AUS), current Jeep Rankings Leader, was eliminated from the competition by Nat Young (USA). Wilkinson was too patient throughout the heat and allowed Young to garner a solid lead. Young will advance to the Quarterfinals, and Wilkinson will lose out in a CT event for the first time in 2016.
“It has been a hectic day,” said Young. “I surfed my first heat and broke my board before the heat ended. I surfed it with a huge buckle in the middle of it. I dry docked it on the rocks, and I hit my arm, my back and my foot got cut up. I hit the reef again out there, so it has been a hectic day. I get so into getting as much out of every wave that I just go for it no matter what. It is maybe worth it, but I should probably slow down a bit.”
“The Aussie leg has been unreal for me, but obviously this was pretty disappointing,” Wilkinson said. “I just had a really slow heat and fell on one critical wave, but I am stoked to be coming out of the Aussie leg with a bit of a lead. That was unexpected. I feel like everything has clicked and I am feeling good. Hopefully this 9th will be my worst result.”
Event organizers will convene tomorrow at 6:30am local time for a possible 7am start.
Highlights from the Drug Aware Margaret River Pro will be webcast LIVE at WorldSurfLeague.com
Drug Aware Margaret River Pro Women’s Final Results:
1 – Tyler Wright (AUS) 18.67 2 – Courtney Conlogue (USA) 14.70
Drug Aware Margaret River Pro Women’s Semifinal Results:
SF 1: Courtney Conlogue (USA) 17.44 def. Tatiana Weston-Webb (HAW) 12.17 SF 2: Tyler Wright (AUS) 15.07 def. Carissa Moore (HAW) 14.07
Drug Aware Margaret River Pro Women’s Quarterfinal Results:
QF 1: Tatiana Weston-Webb (HAW) 15.00 def. Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 7.20 QF 2: Courtney Conlogue (USA) 17.33 def. Laura Enever (AUS) 6.67 QF 3: Carissa Moore (HAW) 14.57 def. Bianca Buitendag (ZAF) 6.40 QF 4: Tyler Wright (AUS) 16.53 def. Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 8.74
2016 Samsung Galaxy WSL Top 5 (After Drug Aware Margaret River Pro):
1. Courtney Conlogue (USA) 26,000 pts
2. Tyler Wright (AUS) 25,200 pts
3. Carissa Moore (HAW) 19,500 pts
4. Tatiana Weston-Webb (HAW) 18,200 pts
5. Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 15,600
Drug Aware Margaret River Pro Men’s Round 4 Results:
Heat 1: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 13.10, Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 12.93, Julian Wilson (AUS) 12.43 Heat 2: Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA) 11.97, Adrian Buchan (AUS) 11.87, Nat Young (USA) 11.60 Heat 3: Kolohe Andino (USA) 14.20, Gabriel Medina (BRA) 12.00, Jordy Smith (ZAF) 12.00 Heat 4: Sebastian Zietz (HAW) 14.17, Caio Ibelli (BRA) 12.57, Italo Ferreira (BRA) 12.56
Drug Aware Margaret River Pro Men’s Round 5 Results:
Heat 1: Nat Young (USA) 16.37 def. Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 8.83 Heat 2: Julian Wilson (AUS) 14.17 def. Adrian Buchan (AUS) 10.26 Heat 3: Italo Ferreira (BRA) 15.93 def. Gabriel Medina (BRA) 13.17 Heat 4: Caio Ibelli (BRA) 13.03 def. Jordy Smith (ZAF) 10.83
Drug Aware Margaret River Pro Men’s Quarterfinal Results:
QF 1: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 15.83 def. Nat Young (USA) 14.24 QF 2: Julian Wilson (AUS) 18.17 def. Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA) 13.10 QF 3: Italo Ferreira (BRA) 17.96 def. Kolohe Andino (USA) 12.50 QF 4: Sebastian Zietz (HAW) 12.50 def. Caio Ibelli (BRA) 9.93
Drug Aware Margaret River Pro Men’s Semifinal Match-Ups:
SF 1: Joel Parkinson (AUS) vs. Julian Wilson (AUS) SF 2: Italo Ferreira (BRA) vs. Sebastian Zietz (HAW)
The Drug Aware Pro has been trundling on over the weekend. The women are up to the quarters and the men to Rd4. Big news over the weekend was Taj Burrow retiring from competition, he’ll do Fiji then hang up the jersey to spend time with his new bub and probably knock out a few more epic films before he’s done. Slater, Adriano and Florence all got early showers and Wilko is still going strong, so this ain’t a throwaway result for the prince of the yellow jersey. In the ladies it’s the usual suspects at the sharp end with Riss, Fitz and Steph in the mix. Forecast is apparently not too hot so a few lay days, read that as Margaret’s winery tour days, are looming before things finish off…
WSL PRESS RELEASE
The Drug Aware Margaret River Pro blazed through Women’s Rounds 3 and 4 to narrow the field down to the remaining eight Quarterfinalists.
The third stop on the 2016 Samsung Galaxy WSL Championship Tour, the Drug Aware Margaret River Pro, saw clean 4 to 6 foot waves (1.5 metre) at Main Break in Western Australia and the usual suspects in terms of WSL Title contenders separated themselves from the rest of the field.
Courtney Conlogue (USA), current WSL Jeep Ratings Leader, continued her dominance at Margaret River against Malia Manuel (HAW) and Nikki Van Dijk (AUS) in the non-elimination Round 3 match-up. Conlogue dropped two solid rides to lock in a 15.33 two-wave combined score. Manuel challenged Conlogue with a 7.33, but could not find the 8.04 required to defeat Conlogue. Van Dijk attempted some high risk maneuvers, but was not able to land the rides to complete the scores.
“For me I think of Round 3 as an elimination round just because you have to go to Round 4 and that round is sudden death,” said Conlogue. “If you end up having a bad heat and someone has a great heat, you are packing up and going home. With the Title you do not want to have any 9th place finishes as long as you can, so alleviating those Round 4s are crucial.”
Round 3 Heat 4 witnessed an all-Australian match-up between the current World No. 2 Tyler Wright (AUS), Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), six-time World Champion, and local favorite Bronte Macaulay (AUS). Wright squeaked through the Quarterfinals with a buzzer-beater win against Gilmore. Needing a 5.23, Wright answered with a 5.30 to send Gilmore to Round 4.
“I thought I was borderline during that heat and it turns out I was,” Wright said. “There was nothing else that came through, so even if I did not get it, I gave myself an opportunity and I was stoked that I did get it. It was very inconsistent.”
Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) was sent to battle in elimination Round 4 against Sage Erickson (USA). Gilmore knocked out Erickson with two solid 8-point rides, giving her a 2.36 lead over Erickson’s 14.74 two-wave combined score. Erickson will leave Margaret River with a 9th place finish. Gilmore will advance to the Quarterfinals.
“I need to be aggressive to win these heats now,” said Gilmore. “Powerful and aggressive is the aim from now on. When I am out there I am feeling aggressive, but then when I watch the replays I think differently. It is always interesting when you watch back and get a different view of what it was, but at the same time, I am just doing my thing but definitely adding more aggression.”
Carissa Moore (HAW) barely came through Round 3 Heat 3 against Bianca Buitendag (ZAF) and Sage Erickson (USA). Erickson got off to a quick start by securing the first two rides of the heat, but Buitendag and Moore swept passed Erickson in the dying minutes. Buitendag threw up a massive 9.40 ride to take the second position, while Moore secured two 8-point rides to advance to the Quarters.
“I ended up catching a couple of waves there at the end, but for a while there I was thinking that I would have to surf another round,’” Moore said. “I just figured that there was a ten minute lull and something had to come through and luckily it did. Even if it didn’t, I was just ready to give it my best shot and go down kicking and screaming.”
Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) blazed through the opening heat of Round 3 against Tatiana Weston-Webb (HAW) and Laura Enever (AUS). Fitzgibbons earned a solid 15.50 two-wave combined score, leaving a healthy gap between Weston-Webb and Enever. Fitzgibbons will move on to the Quarterfinals.
“Being first heat is always tough,” Fitzgibbons said. “You really have to have that energy level up and it has been a great morning. I’ve been up for a while and the legs and energy felt great. I tried to control the heat with those lully conditions and away we went. I am stoked to be into the Quarterfinals.”
Laura Enever (AUS) eliminated Malia Manuel (HAW) in Round 4 to stay alive in the competition. Enever, who has had a slow start to the 2016 season, solidified her first Quarterfinal entry since the 2015 Fiji Pro. Enever secured the win with a buzzer-beater wave to knock out Manuel by only 0.30 points.
“It was back and forth, but I am stoked to put a heat together like that and come back at the end to get the score I needed,” Enever said. “I haven’t been in the Quarters in a long time. Malia and Courtney have been ripping, and I am so inspired by them and how well all the girls have been surfing. This isn’t my type of wave so for me to get a result here is awesome.”
Highlights from the Drug Aware Margaret River Pro will be webcast LIVE at WorldSurfLeague.com.
Drug Aware Margaret River Pro Women’s Round 3 Results:
Heat 1: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 15.50, Tatiana Weston-Webb (HAW) 8.83, Laura Enever (AUS) 6.00 Heat 2: Courtney Conlogue (USA) 15.33, Malia Manuel (HAW) 12.63, Nikki Van Dijk (AUS) 7.10 Heat 3: Carissa Moore (HAW) 16.50, Bianca Buitendag (ZAF) 15.50, Sage Erickson (USA) 15.23 Heat 4: Tyler Wright (AUS) 11.97, Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 11.94, Bronte Macaulay (AUS) 9.30
Drug Aware Margaret River Pro Women’s Round 4 Results:
Heat 1: Tatiana Weston-Webb (HAW) 11.87 def. Nikki Van Dijk (AUS) 10.90 Heat 2: Laura Enever (AUS) 14.50 def. Malia Manuel (HAW) 14.20 Heat 3: Bianca Buitendag (ZAF) 14.60 def. Bronte Macaulay (AUS) 9.44 Heat 4: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 17.10 def. Sage Erickson (USA) 14.74
Drug Aware Margaret River Pro Women’s Quarterfinal Match-Ups:
QF 1: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) vs. Tatiana Weston-Webb (HAW) QF 2: Courtney Conlogue (USA) vs. Laura Enever (AUS) QF 3: Carissa Moore (HAW) vs. Bianca Buitendag (ZAF) QF 4: Tyler Wright (AUS) vs. Stephanie Gilmore (AUS)
Drug Aware Margaret River Pro Men’s Round 4 Match-Ups:
Heat 1: Matt Wilkinson (AUS), Joel Parkinson (AUS), Julian Wilson (AUS) Heat 2: Nat Young (USA), Adrian Buchan (AUS), Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA) Heat 3: Gabriel Medina (BRA), Kolohe Andino (USA), Jordy Smith (ZAF) Heat 4: Sebastian Zietz (HAW), Caio Ibelli (BRA), Italo Ferreira (BRA)
The Drug Aware Margaret River Pro, the third stop on the 2016 Samsung Galaxy WSL Championship Tour, kicked off this morning with Women’s Round 1 followed by Men’s Round 1 in 4 feet + (1.5 metre) clean waves at Main Break in Western Australia.
Matt Wilkinson (AUS), current Jeep Rankings Leader, continues to dominate on the 2016 CT as he defeat injury replacement Stuart Kennedy (AUS) and Dusty Payne (HAW) to advance to Round 3. Wilkinson came out the gates strong with a 7.17 point ride, and continued to better his two-wave score with a solid 5 point ride. Kennedy and Payne were not able to find big enough second scores to combat Wilkinson.
“This 6’1” board is feeling really awesome, but I just buckled it on my last ride, which is a bummer, but I am stoked to win that heat,” Wilkinson said. “I’ve got some other boards so I should be okay. Hopefully the lefts turn on a bit and I can find some barrels and do some big open face carves.”
Adriano De Souza (BRA), reigning WSL Champion, defeat Trails winner Jacob Willcox (AUS) and Keanu Asing (HAW) in Heat 7 of today’s competition. De Souza held the lead with two 6 point rides. Willcox fought hard to out surf De Souza, but was unable to find the 6.37 score required to beat the defending event Champion. De Souza will advance to Round 3, while Willcox and Asing will battle to avoid elimination in Round 2.
“I am so happy to make this heat especially because Willcox surfed so well and Keanu is a dangerous threat in any kind of conditions,” De Souza said. “I am happy to get these nerves out of my system and come back to the place that gave me a lot of happiness in the past. Now I am trying to find my rhythm and see if I can go far through this contest.”
Italo Ferreira (BRA), 2015 Rookie of the Year faced 2016 WSL rookie Kanoa Igarashi (USA) and event Wildcard Jack Robinson (AUS) in Round 1 Heat 4. Igarashi held control for a majority of the heat, but it was Ferreira who surged ahead of Igarashi by only 1.22 points in the last five minutes. Ferreira landed a massive air-rotation on his last wave, reminding the field of the innovative maneuvers in his arsenal.
“I am so happy that I got those last two waves,” said Ferreira after his heat. “In the first ten minutes I did not catch any good waves where Kanoa got two good waves. In the last few minutes I got two good waves and did a couple of turns and airs. It was ninja and then I was scared when I saw the rocks, but it was so fun.”
CT veteran Joel Parkinson (AUS) faced 2016 WSL rookies Conner Coffin (USA) and Ryan Callinan (AUS) in Heat 9. Coffin held control for most of the heat, but it was Parkinson who came back with a huge air that awarded him a 7.17 to win the heat and advance to Round 3. The rookies will compete in Round 2 to avoid elimination from the event.
“That was a really cool heat to surf against two rookies,” Parkinson said. “They are real eager and I was feeding off of their hunger. It was good to have two guys who are frothing on their first time on tour. I had about five different game plans going through my head and everything I tried to do I did the opposite. It’s one of those places where you have to adapt and surf to the conditions whatever way you can.”
Presumed 2016 Title contenders Julian Wilson (AUS), Gabriel Medina (BRA) and Nat Young (USA) also won their Round 1 match-ups and will compete in Round 3.
Courtney Conlogue (USA), the current Jeep Ratings Leader, will advance straight to Round 3 after sending Alessa Quizon (HAW) and Trials winner Felicity Palmateer (AUS) to Round 2. Conlogue was able to find two solid waves to rack up a 13.40 two-wave combined score, earning her a 3.03 lead over Quizon.
“I have learned so much about my surfing and how to improve it at this wave,” Conlogue said. “I love how this venue is always changing. You never know what to expect coming here. You either get swell and amazing offshores or you get this wild, woolly condition. Everytime I come here is an adventure and you wake up and see what the day brings.”
Carissa Moore (HAW), three-time WSL Champion and last year’s event runner-up, charged through her heat, showcasing power, variety and speed against Sage Erickson (USA) andLaura Enever (AUS). Enever tried to combat Moore’s 15.77 two-wave combined score, but was not able to challenge with her pair of 6 point rides. Moore will advance to Round 3, while Enever and Erickson battle in elimination Round 2.
“I am happy where I am at right now, but of course I would have liked to have gotten a few spots better in the first two contests,” Moore said. “I like coming from behind and having something to chase. Seeing that target is exciting. I am happy to be here at Margaret River, the waves are fun.”
Nikki Van Dijk (AUS) is off to a strong start in Western Australia, as she defeat Tyler Wright (AUS), current World No. 2, and Coco Ho (HAW) in Round 1. Van Dijk demonstrated strong performances in the last two events and continued the trend today by earning two 7 point rides. A dramatic finish left Wright under both Van Dijk and Ho’s priority. Needing a second solid score to defeat Van Dijk, Wright was tempted by a wave out the back. Van Dijk played defense and used her priority to also take off on the wave, leaving Wright with an interference call.
“That was the ultimate seal dive, I don’t even know what that was and want to go watch the replay,” Van Dijk said. “But other than that, I am happy to make the next round and I feel good out there. Margarets is definitely a really challenging wave, you never really know what it is going to do or what conditions you’ll get. I love that element, but I would love to win here and I will take it heat by heat.”
Local favorite Bronte Macaulay (AUS) defeat six-time World Champion Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) and Johanne Defay (FRA) in the last heat of Round 1. Macaulay, who gained entry into the event as an injury replacement, charged Main Break to wrack up a 14.60 two-wave combined score, leaving Gilmore and Defay in a combination situation. Macaulay will advance to Round 3, while Gilmore and Defay will battle to avoid an early elimination.
“I am feeling more and more comfortable with every heat I surf,” Macaulay said. “Being a local here, I do not feel any pressure at all. I appreciate the support and when you walk down the beach and see all these familiar faces, it means a lot to me that they are taking time out of their day to come and watch, so I just want to put a good performance out in the water.”
Event organizers will convene tomorrow at 6:30am local time for a possible 7am start.
The Drug Aware Margaret River Pro will be webcast LIVE on WorldSurfLeague.com as well as the WSL app.
The event is also being carried by our LIVE broadcast partners Fox Sports Australia, CBS Sports in the United States, ESPN Brasil, Globosat, Edgesport, Sky NZ, Sport TV, Canal + Deportes, Channel Nine, MCS, Starhub, and Oceanic Time Warner Cable 250 & 1250 in Hawaii.
Drug Aware Margaret River Pro Women’s Round 1 Results:
Heat 1: Tatiana Weston-Webb (HAW) 13.60, Keely Andrew (AUS) 13.43, Bianca Buitendag (ZAF) 8.63 Heat 2: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 15.57, Malia Manuel (HAW) 13.67, Chelsea Tuach (BRB) 10.60 Heat 3: Courtney Conlogue (USA) 13.40, Alessa Quizon (HAW) 10.37, Felicity Palmateer (AUS) 9.43 Heat 4: Carissa Moore (HAW) 15.77, Laura Enever (AUS) 12.83, Sage Erickson (USA) 10.57 Heat 5: Nikki Van Dijk (AUS) 14.80, Coco Ho (HAW) 12.16, Tyler Wright (AUS) 8.77 Heat 6: Bronte Macaulay (AUS) 14.60, Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 7.77, Johanne Defay (FRA) 7.00
Drug Aware Margaret River Pro Women’s Round 2 Match-Ups:
Heat 1: Malia Manuel (HAW) vs. Keely Andrew (AUS) Heat 2: Bianca Buitendag (ZAF) vs. Chelsea Tuach (BRB) Heat 3: Tyler Wright (AUS) vs. Felicity Palmateer (AUS) Heat 4: Johanne Defay (FRA) vs. Laura Enever (AUS) Heat 5: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) vs. Coco Ho (HAW) Heat 6: Sage Erickson (USA) vs. Alessa Quizon (HAW)
Drug Aware Margaret River Pro Men’s Round 1 Results:
Heat 1: Taj Burrow (AUS) 16.34, Jeremy Flores (FRA) 16.10, Alex Ribeiro (BRA) 5.43 Heat 2: Julian Wilson (AUS) 17.10, Adam Melling (AUS) 15.47, Kai Otton (AUS) 12.06 Heat 3: Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 12.67, Stuart Kennedy (AUS) 9.17, Dusty Payne (HAW) 7.60 Heat 4: Italo Ferreira (BRA) 15.67, Kanoa Igarashi (USA) 14.54, Jack Robinson (AUS) 9.70 Heat 5: Gabriel Medina (BRA) 16.70, Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA) 12.27, Davey Cathels (AUS) 10.16 Heat 6: Adriano de Souza (BRA) 13.10, Jacob Willcox (AUS) 12.40, Keanu Asing (HAW) 10.64 Heat 7: Michel Bourez (PYF) 14.14, Jordy Smith (ZAF) 14.04, Alejo Muniz (BRA) 13.13 Heat 8: Nat Young (USA) 15.93, Matt Banting (AUS) 15.53, Caio Ibelli (BRA) 14.60 Heat 9: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 12.84, Conner Coffin (USA) 11.26, Ryan Callinan (AUS) 10.50
Drug Aware Margaret River Pro Men’s Remaining Round 1 Match-Ups:
Heat 10: Kelly Slater (USA), Kolohe Andino (USA), Miguel Pupo (BRA) Heat 11: John John Florence (HAW), Adrian Buchan (AUS), Sebastian Zietz (HAW) Heat 12: Wiggolly Dantas (BRA), Josh Kerr (AUS), Jadson Andre (BRA)
Matt Wilkinson (AUS) has won the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach today, utilizing his electric backhand to best fellow Finalist Jordy Smith (ZAF) in solid six-to-ten foot (2 – 3 metre) waves at the iconic venue in the Australian State of Victoria.
The second stop on the 2016 Samsung Galaxy WSL Championship Tour, the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach is the longest-running professional surf event in the world and today proved nothing short of historic with Wilkinson’s victory being the first for a goofy-footer at Bells Beach in 17 years (last won by Mark Occhilupo in 1998).
Following a win at the opening stop of the season on the Gold Coast, the young Australian has gone back-to-back to start the year with today’s emphatic victory. Holding a stunning lead on the rest of the field, Wilkinson will spearhead the world’s best surfers at the next stop on the CT, the Drug Aware Margaret River Pro, this coming week.
Today’s Final match-up witnessed Wilkinson and Smith exchange huge scores as each battled to hold the lead. Wilkinson unleashed his strong backhand to deliver vertical snaps, earning him a 9.20 and an 8.17, challenging Smith to find two new scores halfway through the Final. Smith finished with a 14.16 two-wave combined score, but it was not enough to beat the Australian’s 17.37 combined score.
“I have been trying to win everywhere forever and it has never happened, and this year I seem to keep picking up trophies, which is making me feel pretty good,” Wilkinson said, “I am so happy to be at Bells. I’ve been coming down to this event for so long, and I’ve always wanted to win it. I finally got my chance.”
“If you improve ten percent in ten different areas in your surfing, you are going to be one-hundred percent better,” continued Wilkinson. “I am on great boards, I feel fit, my surfing feels really good and I am making smarter decisions, such as keeping calm in tricky moments. I am just going to keep doing what I am doing and try to not make any mistakes and throw everything into every wave I catch.”
After suffering a string of injuries in 2015, Smith’s performance at Bells puts his WSL Title campaign back on track. Although Smith experienced an early Round 2 loss at the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast, he made a major comeback by taking out CT heavyweights to earn a second place win at Bells Beach.
“Last year I had a back injury and struggled through it, but I am glad to make the Final here today,” Smith said. “This year was a little different for me at Bells. I did not have my expectations so high, and I wanted to put on a good performance and surf my best. I am just trying to put my head down and do the best surfing I can and work as hard as I can.”
The second Semifinal witnessed an all out clash between Smith and Mick Fanning (AUS), three-time WSL Champion and four-time event winner. Fanning and Smith went wave-for-wave, but it was Smith who challenged Fanning with a 17.17. Fanning was not able to lock in solid completions on his massive finishing moves and will end his run at Bells Beach with a 3rd place finish. Fanning has stated that 2016 will be a ‘personal year’ for him, and he will take some time off following this event.
“It was great to go up against Jordy. We have had so many battles out here and it always goes one way or the other,” said Fanning. “We both left it all out there, but I had fun. I was laughing and had a good time. It actually felt really good coming up the beach knowing that I am going on holiday tomorrow. I just want to say thanks to everyone for all the support over the last eight months and throughout my career.”
Wilkinson blazed through Semifinal 1 against Italo Ferreira (BRA), the 2015 WSL Rookie of the Year. Wilkinson dropped a 17.27 two-wave combined score, including a huge 9.27, leaving Ferreira in a combination situation for the majority of the heat. Ferreira will end his run with his highest finish at the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach event.
“That was a great heat and a great surf for me,” said Ferreira. “This is my best result at Bells. It was a great heat for Wilkinson. He was ripping. I am happy. It is a long year and I will continue to do my best.”
Smith took out Michel Bourez (PYF) in the last heat of the Quarterfinals. Smith gained an early lead against Bourez with a 9.27. Both competitors earned high scoring rides throughout the heat, but Smith’s 17.77 two-wave combined score edged out Bourez’s 17.26, giving Smith the slight 0.51 lead to enter the Semifinals.
Fanning narrowly defeated 2016 WSL rookie Conner Coffin (USA) in this morning’s Quarterfinal match-up. Fanning faced much adversity with a tweaked his back from his earlier heat and a broken board halfway through, but was able to eliminate Coffin by only 0.73 points. Coffin threw up major scores to earn him a 16.17 two-wave combined score, but it was not enough to beat Fanning.
“It was a good heat and I had a lot of fun the whole event,” Coffin said. “When Mick went on that first wave of that set I was stoked because I knew there was a wave behind it. I needed a 9.03, but it came in as an 8.33 and that is just the way it goes when you are up against Mick, who was ripping. But I was happy with my heat, I had a sixteen point total and I am stoked with that.”
Despite the loss, Coffin heads to Margaret River as No. 2 on the Jeep WSL Rankings.
2016 WSL rookies Davey Cathels (AUS) and Caio Ibelli (BRA) were eliminated from the competition in Round 5 by Mick Fanning (AUS) and Jordy Smith (ZAF), respectively.
The next stop on the 2016 Samsung Galaxy WSL Championship Tour will be the Drug Aware Margaret River Pro from April 8 – 19, 2016.
For more information, log onto WorldSurfLeague.com
Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach Final Results:
1 – Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 17.37
2 – Jordy Smith (ZAF) 14.16
Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach Semifinal Results:
SF 1: Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 17.27 def. Italo Ferreira (BRA) 12.40
SF 2: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 17.17 def. Mick Fanning (AUS) 13.90
How to survive Indonesia…
The glittering chain of pearls strung across the Indian Ocean. Where Asia ends, Australasia begins and continents divide. A seemingly infinite amount of islands home to waves of such quality, such class and, occasionally, such crowds it’s heaven and hell all at the same time.
If you call yourself a ‘surfer’ you’re not really a ‘SURFER’ until you’ve busted your Indo cherry. It’s adventure, intrigue, excitement, culture, flawless waves and more all topped up with lashings of banana jaffles and nasi goreng. Now’s the time to think about a main season mission so here’s some pointers.
WHAT TO BRING
The main thing with any tropical travel is travelling light. Essentials only. Reason? You’ve got to carry the damn stuff. It’s hot and sticky so you don’t need heaps of clothes. A selection of boardies to rotate and comfy pair of walk shorts and you’re good to go. Couple of vests, couple of tees and maybe one smart shirt, one long sleeve tee and some thin linen trousers in case you’re a) wanting to visit a temple b) are going anywhere malarial. It’s easy enough to pick up cheap clothes in Indo so don’t bring the farm. If you’re doing a Mentawai run you don’t even need clothes. A tee to travel there in. One for the way home. Then some boardies. On a boat it’s just boardies and top off for the whole time. Unless you’re the kind of hipster that wants to surf in an open shirt of course.
Board wise two boards is the minimum. A groveller for the small days and a something you’re happy on for the good hollow days. One board and you’re asking for instant snappage first sesh. More is good but there’s a moving around to consider and coffin bags are an arse to travel with. A good tight triple is ideal. Spare fins, spare leashes, luggage straps, too many fin keys and strip your wax before you go as you’ll need warm water wax not the cold stuff. Apart from that don’t go crazy, a mozzie net if you’re going deep, a first aid kit aimed mainly at repairing cuts and your own syringes are always a good idea, sunblock, any medical essentials and anti-malarials if you’re going anywhere past Bali.
Do you need a lappy? Depends if you want to spend your time on the other side of the world staring at the internet. They can be handy for watching films etc on flat days but it’s a weight and a risk. An iPad is the perfect travel companion. Light, battery lasts forever and you can get your fix of online guff.
WHAT NOT TO BRING
You have to be an utter muppet to even begin to think about bringing any recreational drugs in to Indo. Fancy the death penalty? Then don’t be a tool. When there also don’t dabble. Street sellers are often in league with the police so seconds after you score you’ll be tapped by the rozzers and in a whole world of trouble. Ice cold beer and surf fuelled dopamine are the only chemical recreations you need in Indo.
DON’T PLAN TOO HARD
It’s good to have an arrival plan. Book something for the first few nights if you’ve got a tip from an experienced mate. Have an idea of where you’re staying or at least the street/lane name so the bemo driver can drop you off. Coming out the airport confident is good wherever you go. Rip off merchants can spot a green neophyte in an instant so act confident and like you know where you’re going. Bemo wise agree a price for the fare as the traffic can be wondrously terrible.
From there on out being fluid in Indo is good. You can adapt to what’s happening with the swell then. No point having a rigid structure then missing the swell of the decade because you were up a volcano or drunk off your gourd in the Gili Isles. You will meet people, things happen, a crew for a G-Land mission or a boat trip down through Lombok and Sumbawa can come together in a day so. So be adaptable. Be mobile. Base everything around the swell. Because…
IT’S NOT ALWAYS GOOD
This isn’t something you want to hear obvs. But, friend, we’d be remiss if we painted a picture suggesting ‘best ever’ waves every day. Sure Indo has better waves on a vastly higher ratio to anywhere else in the world but it still gets bum every now and then. Funky winds are an occasional issue, like the back end of last season thanks to El Nino weird. Thankfully you’re sat in one of the most interesting places: culturally, geographically and biologically on earth. If the surf is going to be arse for a few days then hit the volcanoes, the nature parks, go see a Komodo Dragon or orang-utans and yes go to the Gili Isles get drunk (not on Arak unless you don’t mind going blind) and chase backpackers. Hang out with the locals. They cool. Your eyes will be opened when you’re sat in a wooden shack in Sumbawa with your friendly local moped taxi rider and his family as they bring out the biscuits and weaponised strength coffee. You’ll see a happy, family centred, chilled out bunch of people that don’t give a fig what’s happening on Facebook. Living close to the land and all the better for it. Of course every island is different. Bali is garish and so modern in parts now you’d be hard pressed to know you were on the magical island that’s been such an integral part in surf lore for forty years.
WHERE TO GO
Look at a map of Indonesia. There’s surf on pretty much every island that faces into the Indian Ocean. Some of it well known and documented, surfed and crowded since 1974. Other parts you could still well be the first person to draw a line.
There are plenty of waves outside of the well known hotspots of Bali that are classy and uncrowded. For a short trip Bali is all you need. If you’ve got the time then other islands need exploring. The shortest hop from Bali is over to Nusa Lembongan, an island not too far off the east coast. The classic mission from Bali is to Java and the legendary G-Land which with the fast boats is not the 24 hour ferry/bemo hell mission it used to be. The longer run is down to Lakey’s in Sumbawa but Lakey’s is best in the shoulder seasons in April when the trade winds are not so dominant. The other option is to really explore and avoid the classic spots entirely. Sumatra and Java are huge, wave rich islands, you could spend years just exploring there and there are waves equal to Lakeys and G-Land to find. It all comes down to how much adventure you want. Bali is easy. A green run. Lombok and Sumbawa a red and past Sumbawa and Java/Sumatra and the outer isles a black run. Much more potential for things to go wrong but also a richer, deeper experience and no Starbucks or McDonalds to fall back on.
Whatever happens any Indo voyage is going to be one that’ll give you stories for years to come not to mention upping your surfing game. It’s rightly considered the best surf zone on Earth, you owe it to yourself to find out why…
