Bede Durbidge and Raoni Monteiro power into Round 2 of 2012 Telstra Drug Aware Pro
Australia’s Bede Durbidge and Brazil’s Raoni Monteiro walked away with top honours from their respective Round 1 (Round of 96) heats at the 2012 Telstra Drug Aware Pro that went down at Margaret River in Australia on Tuesday, March 20.
Both Durbidge and Monteiro advanced through into the second round (Round of 48) following their success in the first round. America’s Nathan Yeomans and Australia’s Mitch Crews also extended their life in the competition after taking runner-up position in the ninth and tenth heat respectively.
The six-to-eight foot waves breaking at the primary event site during the opening round of the latest Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Prime rated event set up a solid stage for a series of thrilling battles. The top surfers from around the world were already expected to deliver a heavy dose of excitement to the crowd and the great surfing conditions added further to the electrifying atmosphere.
Squaring off with Yeomans, Basque Country’s Hodei Collazo and Japan’s Yujiro Tsuji in the ninth heat, Durbidge came up with a remarkable performance to steal the show and thus walk away with top honours.
The Australian surfer locked his first business-wave early in the heat to post a 7.83 on the score-board and went on to back it up with a 6.67-point wave, finishing with a resultant heat-total of 14.50 points. Remaining unbeatable, the score served to seal the fate of the battle in his favour.
Yeomans secured runner-up place after finishing with a heat-total of 9.94 points, which comprised of a 4.27 and 5.67-point wave.
Collazo and Tsuji were forced out of the contention for the event title after finishing with a heat-total of 8.27 and 5.40 points respectively.
The tenth heat delivered intense action as Monteiro, Crews and America’s Luke Davis fought tooth and nail for top honours. The battle went down to the wire as all three surfers kept pushing harder until the very last minute.
Monteiro eventually managed to claim top honours with his heat-total of 13.93 points, courtesy of a 6.00 and 7.93 off his best-two waves.
Crews rounded the second place after finishing just behind his Brazilian rival with a heat-total of 13.67 points, which included a 6.50 and 7.17-point wave.
Davis found himself out of contention for the event title after finishing with a heat-total of 13.07 points. Brazil’s Andre Silva also joined the American surfer on the elimination list after finishing with a heat-total of 11.83 points.
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