CJ Hobgood concedes to rampaging Kelly Slater in Volcom Fiji Pro semi-finals – Surfing News
American phenom Kelly Slater put on a superb performance to take a comprehensive victory over his fellow countryperson CJ Hobgood in the second Semi-final at Volcom Fiji Pro, the fourth of ten stops on the 2012 Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP)
World Championship Tour, which went down at the primary event site of Cloudbreak in Tavarua, Fiji, on Monday, June 11.
The 11-time Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Champion was resuming his campaign for the coveted ASP World Title after missing out the Brazilian stop due to an ankle injury. Despite a stumble in the first round, the 40-year-old Floridian came
back strongly in Round 2. From there, his list of victims began to grow as he confidently advanced through the competition to reach the semi-finals.
Pitted against Slater in the second Semi-final was Hobgood. The American surfer had been exhibiting a solid form since the past-few days and was expected to challenge his rival during their battle for the title shot.
With high-performance four-to-six foot waves prevailing at the primary event site on the final day of the competition, the crowd expected nothing short of an epic finish to what had been a thrilling week full of memorable performances and intense battles.
As the second Semi-final took-off, Slater got off to a solid start, charging towards waves to get an upper hand over his rival. Almost half-way through the heat, the reigning ASP World Champion got hold of a juicy wave, which he rode deep and cleanly to
earn a perfect 10 from the judges. He immediately followed it up with a 9.50-point ride to reach a heat-total of 19.50 points.
“That’s probably the best I could surf out here,” Slater said. “The barrel and the turn sections just lined up for me and I was able to do what I did. That was a perfect canvas for me.”
Facing such a demanding challenge, Hobgood faced a near-impossible task of earning two near-perfect scores. Not one to give up easily, he conducted a desperate search for a couple of good scores. He only managed to earn a 4.67 off his first business-wave
and back it up with a promising 8.83-point ride. However, the effort only took him to a heat-total of 13.50 points, thus leading to his elimination from the latest stop on the ASP World Championship Tour.
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