Gabriel Medina rips through Round 3 of the ASP PRIME Nike Lowers Pro – Surfing News
Brazil’s Gabriel Medina left everyone in attendance at the renowned beach-break of Lower Trestles in San Clemente, California, stunned with his performance during the 13th
heat of the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) PRIME Nike Lowers Pro’s Round 3 (Round of 96) on Tuesday, May 1.
His victory in the four-man battle resulted in the confirmation of his position in the fourth round (Round of 48). Australia’s Heath Joske successfully made the Round 4 cut as well after securing runner-up position.
There was a great deal of action in store for the surfing fans on the opening day of the latest ASP PRIME event. The flawless waves of Lower Trestles attracted a huge field of local and international talent, motivating them to put on their best performances
by offering a handsome prize purse and coveted ASP ranking points. The clean two-to-four foot waves breaking at the event site created an ideal stage to host a series of enthralling battles.
Medina, ASP World Tour rookie, had been attracting a lot of attention due to his standout performances over the last few months. He continued his excellent run of form at Nike Lowers Pro, adjusting exceptionally well to the renowned beach-break to put on
an exquisite performance.
The 18-year-old Brazilian remained busy throughout the course of the heat, attacking wave after wave while conducting his search for a big score. The aggressive strategy eventually paid off as he earned an impressive 9.40 off his first business-wave late
in the heat and immediately backed it up with a near-perfect 9.87-point wave to finish with the day’s highest heat-total of 19.27 points.
“That was a fun heat and a good way to start for the rest of the comp,” Medina said. “In the beginning of the heat I was catching too many lefts and I thought, ‘maybe I can get a right.’ I got that one and got the 9, so it was a good heat.”
Joske managed to extend his life in the event as well after scoring a 6.00 and 8.27 off his top-two waves for a heat-total of 14.27 points.
America’s Chris Ward collected a couple of scores in the six-point range for third place, while Brazil’s Ricardo Dos Santos finished fourth after scoring a heat-total of 9.00 points. The lacklustre performances resulted in the ejection of the two surfers
from the contention for the Nike Lowers Pro title.
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