So the Oi Rio Pro has been rolling on with not exactly the greatest surf ever and some disturbing side stories. But aside from all that the one thing everyone’s talking about, well, ‘talking’ is like quiet arguing right? Is Medina. He stomped a thing. He got a 10. The commentators and a bunch of media called it a backflip. Half the punters went, ‘Woooo! Backflip! Rad!’ the other half went, ‘Dude that’s so not a backflip.’
Thing is backflips, rodeos and most above the lip spins and rotes aren’t something we see a lot of. Let alone ever do. And even the standard air reverse isn’t named correctly. Skate and snowboard types facepalm every time this happens. Spinning about in every axis is their domain. Not ours. 98% of surfers will ever even do a straight credit card air. Let alone a backflip.
So when the commentators automatically call ‘backflip’ you’ve got to give them some leeway. Even ex-pros, World Champs like Pottz, who pretty much brought the air game to the tour, ain’t ever done a rodeo. Or backflip. If they did drop a ‘whoa! Medina drops a corked 540’ then the bulk of the fans, those that aren’t in anyway au fait with skating/snowboarding would be all ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Medina, Jordy, Julian, Filipe, John John, Albee and friends are the elite crew that live in this domain. It’s going to take a while for the rest of us to catch up…
Just so you know Wikipedia defines ‘cork’ thusly:
Spins are corked or corkscrew when the axis of the spin allows for the snowboarder to be oriented sideways or upside-down in the air, typically without becoming completely inverted (though the head and shoulders should drop below the relative position of the board).
Here’s a pointer which explains it pretty well:
And below is Medina’s move broken down. For it to to be a backflip it would be more on the vertical axis and he would be inverted under his board, more like the stuff Flynn Novak did and this example:
The world’s best big wave surfers hit the red carpet in Southern California last night for the 2016 World Surf League (WSL) Big Wave Awards. The 16th annual awards gala at the The Grove Theater in Anaheim celebrated the greatest rides of the past year and honored the icons of the big wave community.
Accolades and awards were handed out to those who have demonstrated the highest performance of big wave surfing, ranging from barrels to wipeouts. During the yearlong window, submissions poured in from breaks around the world.
Shane Dorian, one of the world’s most decorated Big Wave surfers, secured the Billabong Ride of the Year Award, as well as the Surfline Men’s Overall Performance of the Year Award. Dorian, after a celebrated career on the elite WSL Championship Tour in the 1990s, transitioned into the big wave community and became one of the most celebrated big wave surfers of all time. Last night’s awards further cement Dorian’s place in surfing history.
“Thank you first of all to Surfline and WSL for this,” Dorian said after winning the Surfline Men’s Overall Performance Award. “It is a huge honor as this is probably the hardest award to win and probably the most prestigious because it is not based on one wave or one session. Just to be nominated with these guys is incredible to me. I thought that all nominated had standout seasons. It was just an amazing season, a lot of people had a lot of opportunities, and I’m extremely grateful.”
Other big winners of the night included Aaron Gold, who secured the Best Paddle Award for his ride at Jaws, Maui, Hawaii. Gold’s award winning ride has broken the record for the biggest wave ever paddled into, with a wave height of 63 feet, surpassing the previous record set by Shawn Dollar at Cortes Bank. Yuri Soledade won the TAG Heuer XXL Biggest Wave Award for his ride at Jaws, Maui, Hawaii. Niccolo Porcella earned the TAG Heuer Wipeout of the Year Award for his over-the-falls drop at Teahupoo, Tahiti.
Along with the unforgettable honors awarded during the event, Keala Kennelly continued the trend by winning the Pure Scot Barrel of the Year Award for her massive tube ride at Teahupoo, Tahiti. Kennelly’s win marks an historic moment at the 16th year of the Big Wave Awards, with the first time a woman has won in the category, or in any open-gender category.
“When I was a little girl, I kept getting told I could not do things because I was a girl,” Kennelly said. “I was told that women can’t surf, and I was told this about getting barreled, surfing big waves, surfing Pipeline, paddling in a Jaws, and the list goes on. So who I really really want to thank is everyone who told me you can’t do that because you’re a woman. Because that drove me to dedicate my life to proving you wrong and it’s been so damn fun.”
Andrea Moller stood out amongst the women’s field this year to take home the Women’s Best Performance Award. This win marks Moller’s first victory in this category.
“This award means a lot to me,” Moller said. “This was the greatest winter, so to win the Women’s Performance of the Year and catch some of the biggest waves ever is an honor. I almost feel like I have waited ten years to be here. I even changed my priorities as I went to school and became a paramedic. When I came back to surfing, it was not to win an award, it was for pure fun. This winter was definitely all about fun, and was also a season that pushed me to a new level.”
The 2015/2016 WSL Big Wave Tour (BWT) Champion, Californian Greg Long, was crowned at the event. This achievement marks the Californian’s second championship win, after securing his first Big Wave Title in 2012. Long competed in two Big Wave Tour events – the Peah’i Challenge in Maui and the Todos Santos Challenge in Mexico – where his Finals’ berths garnered him enough points to best one of the most competitive fields in history.
“I can’t say enough how lucky and grateful I feel everyday to have the opportunity to surf and travel the world and meet such incredible and inspiring people,” Long said. “Every winter I say at the end of it ‘how does it ever get bigger or better?’ I know that I’m around the most incredible people in the world. This sport is only going forward to greater heights.”
2016 WSL Big Wave Award Winners:
Billabong Ride of the Year: Shane Dorian Videographer: Dan Norkunas Paddle Award: Aaron Gold Photographer: Brent Broza TAG Heuer XXL Biggest Wave Award: Yuri Soledade Photographer: Jimmie Hepp Pure Scot Barrel of the Year Award: Keala Kennelly Photographer: Tim McKenna TAG Heuer Wipeout of the Year Award: Niccolo Porcella Videographer: Tim Pruvost Surfline Men’s Overall Performance Award: Shane Dorian Women’s Best Overall Performance Award: Andrea Moller 2015/2016 WSL BWT Champion: Greg Long (HAW)
The WSL Big Wave Tour commences its 2016/2017 season on Wednesday, April 27, 2016. For more information log onto WorldSurfLeague.com.
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)
Kelly Slater (USA), eleven-time WSL Champion, was knocked out of the event by 18-year-old injury replacement Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA). Fioravanti upset the competition as he eliminated the CT superstar in Round 2 Heat 3. Fioravanti charged throughout the heat, first solidifying a 7.93 and then backing that up with an 8.67. Slater, with a 13.43, was not able to close the 3.17 point gap to defeat the injury replacement. Slater has struggled on the 2016 CT and has not yet advanced past Round 3 this season.
“Surfing a heat against Kelly has always been a dream of mine,” Fioravanti said. “To actually beat him in a heat is unbelieveable, I am still in shock. These guys are the best surfers in the world so you have to surf one-hundred percent. It is a special opportunity and you do not get these opportunities that much, so I am having so much fun.”
“I did not start out real great,” Slater said. “I had a quick start, but at the end of my wave I could not see because I was in the foam trying to recover, and when I jumped I went straight onto my tailbone right onto a rock. I think what is going on is that when you get a guy like Leonardo who has nothing to lose and gets into the event as an injury replacement, he knows he has to go out there and have fun and be smart. He had a game plan to be on the best waves and it worked out for him.”
Heat 1 saw John John Florence (HAW) face Adrian Buchan (AUS) and injury replacement Sebastian Zietz (HAW) in an intense match-up. All three competitors posted solid rides throughout the heat, including a huge 9.77 by Zietz and a 9.87 by Florence. Florence put together an 18.87 two-wave combined score, leaving Buchan into a combination situation and Zietz to chase a 9.11. Florence ran away with the win and will advance to Round 3.
“I’ve been surfing out here a lot this time around, where in the past couple of years I would come here on freesurf trips before the event and surf everywhere but here,” Florence said. “This year I have really focused on just surfing here. I have been here a bunch of times and surfed this wave quite a bit. I like this wave a lot.”
Although Buchan lost in Round 1 against Florence, he fought hard through Round 2 to defeat injury replacement and former CT charger Dusty Payne (HAW). The two went blow for blow, each exchanging 8 and 9 point rides. Despite Payne earning the highest ride of the heat, a 9.20, he fell only 0.07 points short of advancing to the next round.
“Dusty is a great surfer out here and he has won the event here before,” Buchan said. “He beat me in the Semis that year. As I was getting ready for the heat, I saw the heat draw and knew it was going to be a good heat. We both put down some great scores and I am sure it was one of those ones where it could have gone either way. I am stoked with how I surfed. I feel like I am doing some great surfing and competing really well and enjoying myself.”
The opening heat of the day saw Kolohe Andino (USA) fly through Round 1 to advance to Round 3 after defeating eleven-time WSL Champion Kelly Slater (USA) and Miguel Pupo (BRA). Andino stayed selective throughout the heat to post a 15.70 two-wave combined score. Slater was not able to find the 8.87 point ride to take the lead away from Andino.
“You have to react really quickly with picking a wave and picking a maneuver,” Andino said. “I wasn’t sure if Kelly was going to go on that first one and then he ended up going. I was stoked he did because it was not that good, but if I would have taken off, I would have gotten an interference, which is not a cool thing to start the heat with.”
After missing the first two events of the 2016 CT due to injury, Alejo Muniz (BRA) is back in action with a win over Kai Otton (AUS) in Heat 8 Round 2. Muniz narrowly pushed ahead of Otton with a 12.23 two-wave combined score. Otton only needed a 6.67 to win the heat, but fell short by only 1.66 points.
“I know that victory was really important to myself, but the real thing was to be here again,” Muniz said. “I missed everyone and I missed wearing the jersey. It has been a personal battle for five months already. I came back to surf two weeks ago and just that feeling to be back in the water was amazing. To be able to be here is such a special moment for me.”
Round 2 saw the 2016 WSL rookie class battle against each other with Caio Ibelli (BRA) against Alex Ribeiro (BRA) in Heat 7, and Kanoa Igarashi (USA) against Ryan Callinan (AUS) in Heat 10. Ibelli and Igarashi will advance to Round 3 after taking out Ribeiro and Callinan, respectively.
Highlights from the Drug Aware Margaret River Pro will be webcast LIVE at WorldSurfLeague.com.
For more information, log onto WorldSurfLeague.com
Drug Aware Margaret River Pro Men’s Remaining Round 1 Results:
Heat 10: Kolohe Andino (USA) 15.70, Kelly Slater (USA) 12.16, Miguel Pupo (BRA) 5.10
Heat 11: Josh Kerr (AUS) 14.93, Wiggolly Dantas (BRA) 14.50, Jay Davis (AUS) 9.50
Heat 12: John John Florence (HAW) 18.87, Adrian Buchan (AUS) 15.27, Sebastian Zietz (HAW) 13.20
Drug Aware Margaret River Pro Men’s Round 2 Results:
Heat 1: Jeremy Flores (13.00) 14.80 def. Jay Davies (AUS) 14.60
Heat 2: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 15.94 def. Jacob Willcox (AUS) 13.73
Heat 3: Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA) 16.60 def. Kelly Slater (USA) 13.43
Heat 4: Wiggolly Dantas (BRA) 18.06 def. Jack Robinson (AUS) 14.37
Heat 5: Adrian Buchan (AUS) 18.00 def. Dusty Payne (HAW) 17.93
Heat 6: Adam Melling (AUS) 13.84 def. Conner Coffin (USA) 12.63
Heat 7: Caio Ibelli (BRA) 14.74 def. Alex Ribeiro (BRA) 12.83
Heat 8: Alejo Muniz (BRA)12.23 def. Kai Otton (AUS) 10.57
Heat 9: Matt Banting (AUS) 14.90 def. Stuart Kennedy (AUS) 13.30
Heat 10: Kanoa Igarashi (USA) 14.23 def. Ryan Callinan (AUS) 13.64
Heat 11: Miguel Pupo (BRA) 14.50 def. Davey Cathels (AUS) 13.33
Heat 12: Sebastian Zietz (HAW) 15.40 def. Keanu Asing (HAW) 13.00
Drug Aware Margaret River Pro Men’s Round 3 Match-Ups:
Heat 1: Matt Wilkinson (AUS) vs. Matt Banting (AUS)
Heat 2: Joel Parkinson (AUS) vs. Michel Bourez (PYF)
Heat 3: Julian Wilson (AUS) vs. Miguel Pupo (BRA)
Heat 4: Nat Young (USA) vs. Taj Burrow (AUS)
Heat 5: Josh Kerr (AUS) vs. Adrian Buchan (AUS)
Heat 6: Adriano de Souza (BRA) vs. Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA)
Heat 7: Gabriel Medina (BRA) vs. Adam Melling (AUS)
Heat 8: Wiggolly Dantas (BRA) vs. Kolohe Andino (USA)
Heat 9: Jordy Smith (ZAF) vs. Kanoa Igarashi (USA)
Heat 10: Jeremy Flores (FRA) vs. Sebastian Zietz (HAW)
Heat 11: John John Florence (HAW) vs. Caio Ibelli (BRA)
Heat 12: Italo Ferreira (BRA) vs. Alejo Muniz (BRA)
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)
Taj has announced he is to retire after 18 years on tour. Taj, 37, won his heat last night but said he had been struggling to keep fitness and focus and felt now was the time to leave the tour.
“I was driving down this morning with a good playlist on and a coffee and I felt so happy and relieved to be making this announcement,” he said.
“The sport has given me so much,” Burrow said. “Years of incredible waves, experiences and friendships that I’ll never forget. The WSL officials and competitors have not only pushed me to be a better surfer but have also become family to me.”
“I just didn’t have my heart in it and when I was losing I was getting just as upset as ever. It just wasn’t adding up, so I thought there’s not a better time to give my spot to someone more hungrier.”
“I felt like I had too much going on. With the birth of my baby there’s been a lot of sleepless nights and I don’t have [former trainer] Johnny Gannon in my corner cracking the whip and I just haven’t been able to keep up,” he said.
“Everything’s been going too fast and I’ve been going into events not prepared. It’s no fun going into events half-assed and not giving it my all, it’s been making me upset and stressed.”
Taj’s last event will by the Fiji Pro
Taj’s first year on tour was 1998.
Taj actually qualified for the tour a year earlier but declined preferring to train.
Taj has 12 world tour titles and is a Pipe Master
He has been a Top 10 finisher 15 years, Runner-Up 1999 and 2007.
Taj was one of the worlds most influential surfers sections in Sabotaj, Montaj, Fair Bits, Hit and Run, Stranger Than Fiction, Trilogy, Still Filthy, showcasing his high performance approach in the air, trade mark tweaks and carves and highly accomplished tube riding.
