CJ Hobgood defeats Thiago Camarao to enter Billabong Azores Islands Pro Final – ASP Prime Event
With the conclusion of the first Semi-Final, the focus of the entire crowd turned towards the second Semi-Final which took place between CJ Hobgood and Brazil’s Thiago Camarao on Saturday, October 1, at Praia de Santa Barbara in Sao Miguel, Portugal.
The contest turned out to be a real nail-biter, keeping everyone at the edge of their seats until the very last minute. However once the dust settled, it was Hobgood who stood victorious, defeating Camarao by a very small margin to advance through to the
Finals.
The latest Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Prime event had continuously delivered adrenaline-pumping battles despite lacking the blessing of mother-nature. The waves had stayed within the three-to-four foot range, which would not have been a problem
had the swell not lacked quality. To further add to the challenge, the strong on-shore winds had not been absent on a single day, making it extremely tough for the surfers to get a big score off the waves that were on offer.
Both Hobgood and Camarao had done well to adjust to the conditions so far, which had allowed them to progress this far in the competition. Their encounter was expected to be nothing short of spectacular as both of them seemed to be on top of their game at
Praia de Santa Barbara.
As the Semi-Final showdown got underway, the 32-year-old Hobgood got off to a relatively strong start, catching a wave in the early minutes to post 5.33 points on the score-board. Camarao kept hunting for an adequate response with determination and eventually
collected a 5.10-point wave to stay alive in the battle.
The real fire-works started in the last minutes of the 30-minute heat as Hobgood added an additional 6.13 points to his account, moving to a heat-total of 11.46 points. With the siren signalling the end of the heat just around the corner, Camarao locked
a wave to give it all he had, but the effort turned out to be futile as he earned an insufficient 6.17 off it, consequently reaching a heat-total of 11.27 points.
The loss came as a real disappoint for Camarao as it was the third Semi-Final finish for him during the current season. Commenting on the heat later on, the 23-year-old Brazilian said, “It was really hard that semi. I saw CJ got high scores against Kolohe
so I thought our semi would be the same. The waves in the end got a little worse so in the end it was 6's that were the top scores. In the end we had a really close situation on the last paddle but it was after the horn so congrats to him.”
The exciting last-minute victory sent Hobgood to the Final of Billabong Azores Islands Pro, where he was to compete against his compatriot, Nate Yeomans, for the coveted event title.
For updates on the Final of Billabong Azores Islands Pro, stay tuned to bettor.com.
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