Billabong Rio Pro 2014 – Finals
De Billabong Rio Pro is inmiddels weer achter de rug. Hieronder kun je het verslag van de laatste rondes lezen, de hoogtepunten hebben we voor het gemak op een rijtje gezet. De organisatie van de Billabong Rio Pro deelde deze wedstrijdverslagen met ons. De verslagen van de eerste dagen kun je elders op onze website terug vinden.
QF 1: Kelly Slater (USA) 14.50 def. Nat Young (USA) 12.37
Kelly Slater continued to hunt the low-tide barrels at Barra Da Tijuca in the opening of the Quarterfinals against Nat Young, getting on the board first with a pair of sevens.
Young snagged a few tubes of his own, etching a 6.97 and 5.40 of his own to get back in to the heat, but Slater’s opening sevens remained unmatched.
[youtube id=”kVSwheBL_XI”]
QF 2: Kolohe Andino (USA) 12.44 def. Bede Durbidge (AUS) 7.40
The strategy shifted as Kolohe Andino. He took a try at some of the tubes but earned his first keeper score for a series of quick quick pocket snaps on his backhand.
Bede Durbidge, looking to get back to the performance level that took that kept him within a midrange score going into the second half of the heat. Andino kept building, getting back into the barrels and improving his bottom score to a heat-high 6.67 with five minutes to go.
“I always seem to do better when it’s tubes because for me it just simplifies it,” Andino said. “I have nothing to lose now.”
[youtube id=”F7Baiq07VKQ”]
QF 3: Michel Bourez (PYF) 16.83 def. Jordy Smith (ZAF) 11.67
Defending event champion Jordy Smith took on Michel Bourez next, with Smith holding a narrow lead throughout the first 20 minutes of the heat via a 5.50 and 4.00.
With 10 minutes remaining, the Tahitian committed to a backhand barrel and followed with two backhand snaps, earning an excellent 8.10 for the ride and the heat lead.
The two shared a crucial exchange with just two minutes remaining. Smith overtook the lead with a 6.17, but Bourez grabbed rail and drove through another backhand pit, earning another excellent 8.73 for a Semifinals berth.
“In these conditions anyone can win the heat,” Bourez said after the upset. “It’s not who is better, it’s all about catching the right wave and that’s what I did.”
[youtube id=”4OqJ_F7mELE”]
QF4: Taj Burrow (AUS) 15.66 def. Sebastian Zietz (HAW) 7.20
Sebastian Zietz tried to capitalize on the rhythm he had established in his last heat, working the steep transitions with short floaters and smooth carves. But World No. 5 Taj Burrow set a high bar, scoring a 6.00 and a 7.00 on similar back-to-back rides, using an arm drag to stay in the tight tubes and finishing with clean snaps.
A short tube ride heading into the second half took Zietz out of combination territory but Burrow continued to polish his form on the left-breaking barrels. He scored a 7.73 on his fifth catch with less than 10 minutes to go and replaced his 7.00 at the two-minute mark with a 7.93.
[youtube id=”4UicW6hZ1P8″]
SF 1: Kolohe Andino (USA) 14.73 def. Kelly Slater (USA) 14.17
Eleven-time ASP World Champion Kelly Slater and California prodigy Kolohe Andino opened up the men’s Semifinals, with Andino getting the best of an opening exchange over Slater by a score of 6.83 to 6.50.
Andino stayed busy on the lefts, belting a two-turn combination for a 6.10, but Slater answered with a left of his own, overtaking the lead with a 7.67.
The underdog unleashed his aerial game next, launching an air-reverse into the flats, for a 7.60 and a spot in his first career final.
[youtube id=”u-nVKxhUWN8″]
SF 2: Michel Bourez (PYF) 15.30 def. Taj Burrow (AUS) 12.33
After mastering tube maneuvers in the Quarterfinals, Taj Burrow and Michel Bourez were forced to adopt new game plans as changing conditions transitioned the game from barrels to rail work.
Burrow was quick to adapt, throwing his tremendous frame against a left-breaking lip for a 7.00 keeper and backed it up with a 5.33 for similar proficiency on a righthander.
Bourez stole the heat momentum when he scored on back-to-back waves, including the heat’s first aerial and an execution of a quick barrel ride with a high vertical snap close. The aerial matched Burrow’s early rail success and the barrel ride earned him an excellent 8.70. Bourez advanced to the Finals by finishing strong against the high-ranking Aussie.
[youtube id=”jQvvXIepkxo”]
Michel Bourez (PYF) 13.84 vs. Kolohe Andino (USA) 6.43
Michel Bourez opened up first in the Final, blasting a 7.17 for a series of three powerful backhand turns. Kolohe Andino would catch a series of waves, his best coming in at a 5.00 for two backhand snaps. Bourez was more selective in his approach, notching a 6.67 on his second ride.
In need of an 8.84, Andino would hunt down the righthand ramps on offer at Barra Da Tijuca, but the Californian was unable to complete any attempts.
Bourez held on for the win, taking his second victory of the 2014 ASP WCT season, moving to No. 4 on the rankings.
[youtube id=”AED6bGC20aU”]
