Amazing performances and upsets highlight Round 4 of Quiksilver Pro France
Australian surfer Joel Parkinson and his fellow countryperson Kieren Perrow advanced through into the quarter-finals at the Quiksilver Pro France, the 2012 Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Championship Tour, after claiming top honours in
their respective Round 4 heats that went down at the main event site of La Graviere in Hossegor, France, in Thursday, October 4, 2012.
Parkinson got the better of his fellow countryperson Owen Wright and Adrian Buchan in the third heat to advance through into the quarter-finals, forcing his two rivals into the fifth round to surf again to earn their place in the next stage of the competition.
The fourth heat featured an upset as Perrow prevailed over America’s Kelly Slater and Brazil’s Gabriel Medina to jump straight into the quarter-finals while relegating both his rivals into the fifth round.
With pulsing six foot waves on offer at the primary event site, the stage was set for a series of enthralling contests between the best surfers from around the globe.
Parkinson, one of the frontrunners for this year’s ASP World Title, had a golden opportunity to surpass former two-time ASP World Champion and current No.1 on the ASP World Championship Tour rankings Mick Fanning from Australia with a good result.
With Fanning already eliminated from the competition, Parkinson was looking to go as far in the competition as possible.
Pitted against Wright and Buchan in the third heat, Parkinson got off to a slow start, taking his time to adapt to the conditions on the hand.
In the final minutes of the heat, he stepped up to earn 6.70 points off his first business-wave and soon backed it up with a 5.83-point ride to get to a heat-total of 12.53 points.
Wright, who had been nothing short of outstanding over the last few days in the demanding waves at La Graviere, seemed to be struggling with his rhythm during the course of the heat and eventually had to settle for a heat-total of 9.90 points after scoring
a 2.40 and 7.50 off his best-two waves.
Buchan finished third after earning a 4.50 off his first business-wave and backing it up with a 2.47-point ride, thus registering a heat-total of 6.97 points.
The fourth heat featured a really intimidating line-up, with the formidable Slater taking on Perrow and Medina in a three-man battle for the quarter-final spot.
Naturally, the Floridian powerhouse was a clear favourite for the heat and quite understandably so as his experience and skills had remained long remained unmatched in the sport, thus bringing him 11 ASP World Titles in two decades.
However, Perrow was not in a mood to get intimidated by the presence of the world’s greatest surfer in the heat and took both Slater and Medina head-on with a determined performance.
The Australian surfer went down to business as soon as the heat kicked-off, locking a juicy wave in the opening minutes of the heat to post a 7.67 on the score-board.
Continuing the momentum, Perrow added another 6.73 points to his account immediately to reach a heat-total of 14.40 points.
Slater never looked comfortable during the course of the heat, scoring a 5.33 and 6.33 off his best-two waves to eventually finish behind Perrow in second place with a heat-total of 11.66 points.
Medina finished in third place with a heat-total of 11.14 points, which included a 5.87 and really impressive 8.20-point ride.
The result of the heat was indeed surprising, though there was hardly anyone in the crowd who doubted the ability of the legendary Slater to bounce back from the defeat.
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