Gabriel Medina defeats Joel Parkinson to clinch Rip Curl Pro Search title – 2011 ASP World Tour
After a series of thrilling battles, the latest stop of the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Tour, Rip Curl Pro Search San Francisco, came down to the Final, pitting Australia’s Joel Parkinson against Brazil’s Gabriel Medina for the coveted
title on Monday, November 7, at the Ocean Beach in San Francisco, America.
The clash between the two surfers was expected to be full of fireworks, but it turned out to be a one-sided affair with Medina stealing the show with an outstanding performance to lift his second title of the season in a matter of one month. Parkinson gave
a lacklustre performance during the Final and was forced to settle for runner-up place.
Both Medina and Parkinson had been nothing short of spectacular throughout the course of the latest elite tour event and despite facing a huge line-up of heavily talented competitors, they managed to hold their own and gradually make their way into the mother
of all battles, the Final.
With clean three-to-five foot waves on offer, the stage was set for an epic Final. As the battle got under-way, the 17-year-old Medina wasted no time in taking an offensive stance and caught a wave in the opening minutes to unload a series of turns, earning
7.50 points for the effort. Keeping the charge going, he followed it up with another outstanding wave, this time getting a 9.00 from the judges. The opening waves instantly got him in a dominant position by taking him to a heat-total of 16.50 points.
Parkinson, who had remained simply outstanding throughout the year, got off to a promising start with a 6.90-point wave. However, he found himself in need of a huge score to reach out for victory. Despite a determined effort, he was only able to add an additional
4.00 points to his account and finished with a heat-total of 10.90 points. The 5.60-point deficit forced him to surrender victory to Medina, giving him an opportunity to raise his second title of the season.
Overjoyed with his second success in a matter of 30 days, Medina said, “This has been incredible. This is my second World Tour win and it has been great. I’m having fun on the Tour. I don’t know what I did out there, I just try to go big and it was great
to have a final with Parko [Joel Parkinson]. He is one of my favourite surfers.”
Medina moved to the 18th spot on the ASP World Title rankings after participating in just his fourth event, while the runner-up finish moved Parkinson to the No.2 spot.
The ASP World Tour will now head to Oahu in Hawaii for its final stop of the season, Billabong Pipe Masters, which is scheduled to kick off on December 8.
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