Jeremy Flores and Brett Simpson survive opening round of Volcom Fiji Pro – Surfing news
France’s Jeremy Flores and America’s Brett Simpson emerged triumphant in their respective Round 1 heats of the Volcom Fiji Pro, the fourth of ten stops on the 2013 Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Championship Tour, which recommenced at the
alternate venue of Restaurants in Tavarua, Fiji, on Thursday, June 6, 2013.
Their success in the opening round sent through straight into the third round, while relegating their rivals to Round 2.
With four-to-six foot swell building up at Restaurants, the top surfers from around the globe were excited about the opportunity to put their exquisite skills on display in front of the huge crowd in attendance.
The first 10 heats of Round 1 had already been completed a couple of days back. Therefore, the latest day’s proceedings kicked-off with the last-two heats.
Flores found himself pitted against America’s Nat Young and Kolohe Andino in the 11th heat.
The young American surfers were clearly the underdogs in the three-man battle, as they were up against an experienced ASP World Championship Tour campaigner.
As the heat got underway, the French surfer did not waste much time to stamp his authority over his rivals.
Locking his first business-wave, Flores posted an 8.97 on the scoreboard and went on to back it up with an 8.83-point ride, thus finishing with a heat-total of 17.80 points.
Young got off to a promising start, scoring an 8.10 off his first business-wave. However, he failed to build momentum and only managed to add an additional 4.83 points to his account, thus finishing with a heat-total of 12.93 points.
Andino finished third with a two-wave total of 9.10 points, which included a 5.83 and 3.27-point ride.
The final heat of Round 1 saw Simpson take on Hawaii’s John John Florence and Australia’s Adrian Buchan in a three-man battle.
The American surfer collected a couple of scores in the six-point range to finish with a heat-total of 13.20 points.
Florence, who is known for his big-wave riding, failed to put on a characteristic performance in the four-to-six foot waves that were arriving at Restaurants. Despite scoring an impressive 7.57 off a wave early in the heat, he only managed to add an additional
4.83 points to his account, thus finishing with a heat-total of 12.40 points.
Buchan registered a heat-total of 11.00 points after scoring a 6.33 and 4.67 off his top-two waves.
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