Gabriel Medina defeats Mick Fanning to move into Volcom Fiji Pro Final – Surfing News
The Brazilian powerhouse Gabriel Medina took the better of Australian phenom Mick Fanning in the first Semi-final of 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 battle was expected to go down to the wire, but it ended up being a pretty one-sided affair with Medina collecting a comprehensive victory over his rival to confirm his place in the Final.
A huge amount of excitement and thrill has been associated with the elite tour events and the latest stop on the ASP World Tour did not fail to live up to the expectations. The action turned out to be as satisfying as ever, with a handful of memorable performances
from the world’s best surfers.
With four-to-six foot waves on offer at the open ocean reef pass on the final day of the competition, the stage was all set for an exciting finish.
The first Semi-final placed the immensely experienced former two-time ASP World Champion Fanning against Medina, competing in his first complete ASP World Tour. Despite the massive difference between the experiences of the two surfers, it was difficult to
pick a favourite. Both the surfers had exhibited great skills and solid form at Fiji over the last few days.
As the battle for a spot in the Final got underway, Medina wasted very little time in asserting his dominance over his rival. Locking a juicy wave in the opening minutes of the heat, the Brazilian sensation posted an 8.43 on the score-board. After an energetic
and determined effort, he managed to add an additional 5.50 points to his account, thus reaching a heat-total of 13.93 points.
Fanning apparently struggled to find rhythm throughout the course of the battle and only managed to collect a 1.67 and 4.90 off his best-two waves to finish with a combined total of 6.57 points. After looking intimidating since the very first day, the Australian
went down in a pretty disappointing manner. However, he rose to the No.1 spot on the 2012 ASP World Championship Title rankings due to his third-place finish.
“Found myself on the wrong side of the rhythm this morning,” Fanning said. “It’s a bummer, but those heats happen. The ratings’ lead is great, but it’s so early in the season that it doesn’t necessarily mean anything at this point. That said, I’m feeling
good and feel like I’m surfing well so I’m pumped.”
Medina will face the winner of second Semi-final between America’s Kelly Slater and CJ Hobgood in a battle for the overall event title later in the day.
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