Joel Parkinson and Kelly Slater qualify for the semi-finals at Quiksilver Pro France
There were hardly any upsets during the quarter-final stage of Quiksilver Pro France as Australia’s Joel Parkinson and America’s Kelly Slater successfully secured top honours in their respective heats that went down at La Graviere in Hossegor, France, on
Thursday, October 4, 2012.
Parkinson got the better of Brazil’s Gabriel Medina in the third quarter-final to advance through into the semi-finals while bringing the competition to a premature end for his rival.
The fourth quarter-final saw Australia’s Kieren Perrow succumb to a mesmerising performance by Slater, being sent into a daze along with everyone else who witnessed the magic of the greatest surfer in history.
While the pulsing six-foot waves gracing the main event site since the start of the day had pushed a handful of surfers on the back-foot, Parkinson was able to tame the conditions exceptionally well.
Squaring-off with Medina in a one-on-one battle for the semi-final slot, Parkinson exuded confidence since the beginning of the heat and concluded with a perfect 10 off his first business-wave and following it up with an 8.83-point ride immediately to register
a heat-total of 18.83 points.
Medina tried to offer some fight, but his efforts were just not enough. Scoring a 5.50 and 7.40 off his best-two waves, the Brazilian surfer finished with a heat-total of 12.90 points, which resulted in him conceding victory to his rival.
The fourth quarter-final was nothing more and nothing less than a Slater show, with the reigning 11-time Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Champion leaving both the crowd as well as his rival stunned in awe.
The 40-year-old Floridian collected a 9.93 off his first business-wave halfway through the heat and backed it up with a perfect-10 ride a few minutes later to get to a heat-total of 19.93 points.
Perrow scored a 3.83 and 2.13 off his best-two waves for a heat-total of 5.96 points, resulting in a comprehensive victory for his rival.
“You know the waves are so good, that literally both guys can get two 10s out there right now, there’s that many good waves,” Slater said after the heat. “I was throwing away better waves than I’ve had all contest, it’s just pumping. The color of the sky
and everything came together, the wind, the swell and the tide was perfect for the size, it was really nice. These are some of the best beachbreaks in the world right there.”
Claiming a successful result in their quarter-final heats, both Parkinson and Slater advanced to the next stage of the competition to take each other for a place in the final.
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