Ian Gentil and Tom Whitaker off to a flying start at Vans World Cup of Surfing
Hawaii’s Ian Gentil and Australia’s Tom Whitaker got off to an ideal start at the Vans World Cup of Surfing, second of three events on the 30th anniversary Vans Triple Crown of Surfing, which kicked-off at Sunset Beach in Oahu, Hawaii, on Tuesday,
November 27, 2012.
Both the surfers advanced to Round 2 (Round of 96) after claiming victory in their respective Round 1 (Round of 128) heats.
Hawaii’s Alex Smith and his fellow compatriot Kai Barger successfully extended their life in the event as well after securing runner-up place in the first and second heat of Round 1 respectively.
The conditions prevailing at the main event site were far from easy, demanding a little bit extra from the talented surfers from around the globe as they competed for top honours at the second jewel of the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing.
Pitted against Smith, Australia’s Stu Kennedy and Basque Country’s Hodei Collazo in the first heat, Gentil had his work cut out for him. The double-overhead swell presented him with a significant challenge, while his three rivals held nothing back as they
tried to finish on top of him.
Making the most of his local knowledge of the waves and putting his skills to an effective use, Gentil managed to find himself a 7.60 and 6.83-point ride, thus finishing with a heat-total of 14.43 points. The kept him in the lead until the end to seal the
fate of the battle in his favour.
Smith finished in second place after registering a heat-total of 11.17 points, which included a 5.67 and 5.50-point wave. The second-place finish was sufficient to take him through into the next round.
Kennedy finished in third place with a heat-total of 10.50 points, while Collazo had to settle for a fourth-place finish after registering a heat-total of 8.36 points. Both the surfers were consequently eliminated from the competition.
The next heat saw Whitaker walk away with a convincing victory after delivering a solid performance.
The Australian surfer got off to an excellent start, securing a 9.00 off his first business-wave and went on to back it up with a 6.00-point ride, thus finishing with a decisive heat-total of 15.00 points.
Barger finished below him in second place after registering a heat-total of 12.57 points, which comprised of a 7.90 and 4.67-point wave.
Germany’s Nic Von Rupp and Hawaii’s Derek Ho rounded out the bottom-two positions after finishing with a heat-total of 6.83 and 5.84 points respectively, which consequently removed them from the contention for the event title.
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