Daniel Ross wins in a nail-biting heat as the first round concludes: 2011 Billabong Rio Pro
After a real intense battle, Australia’s Daniel Ross managed to beat his compatriot, Kieren Perrow, along with Brazil’s Adriano de Souza in the 11th heat of the first round of Billabong Rio Pro that went down at the left-hand point-break of Arpoador in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, on Tuesday, May 17.
With only five-foot waves at hand, the surfers did not have a lot to work with. However, the experience and skill allowed them to make the best of the challenging conditions that awaited them at the event site.
Perrow hardly seemed at ease on his surfboard throughout the course of the heat, struggling to find a good wave. Even after choosing two better looking waves, he failed to use them to their full potential and looked shaky while throwing down his tricks. He ended up with a two-wave score of 8.96.
The real highlight of the heat was the intense contest between Australia’s Ross and Brazil’s de Souza. The odds were slightly in favour of the Brazilian as he had displayed an extremely impressive form throughout the season, even beating the legendary American surfer, Kelly Slater, in the quarter-finals of the Rip Curl Pro at Bells Beach in Australia to eliminate him from the event. However, the Australian did not feel intimidated by the recent feat of his Brazilian rival and put up a determined fight.
Both the surfers made excellent choices regarding the waves and utilised them by throwing sensational tricks, turns and other manoeuvres in an attempt to earn a high score. In the end, Ross’s effort turned out to be a bit superior to de Souza’s and ended up edging past his rival, though just barely, with a score of 14.90 against the Brazilian’s 14.67.
The victory allowed Ross to directly advance to the third round of the men’s 2011 Billabong Rio pro, while de Souza and Perrow will have to compete in round two to join the winners of Tuesday in the third round.
With good conditions expected at the events site on Wednesday, the competition will continue with round two and three.
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