Joel Parkinson jumps into Round 3 of Billabong Rio Pro after excellent Round 1 performance
Australia’s Joel Parkinson confirmed his place in the third round of the Billabong Rio Pro, the third of ten stops on the 2012 Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Title Series, after putting on a superb performance to claim victory in the sixth
heat of Round 1 that went down at Arpoador in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Wednesday, May 9.
Australia’s Matt Wilkinson finished in second place, while Brazil’s Peterson Crisanto was forced to settle for a third-place finish. Both the surfers got relegated to the second round to have another go at earning their place in Round 3.
The latest stop of the elite tour was scheduled to kick-off at Barra da Tijuca, but the unfavourable conditions prevailing at the main event site led the event organisers to shift the opening round to Arpoador. With clean two-to-four foot waves on offer,
the world’s best surfers were all set to resume their campaign for the coveted ASP World Title.
The sixth heat saw Parkinson against Wilkinson and Crisanto in a three-man battle for the Round 3 spot. All three surfers were capable to stealing the show on their day, though the scales were slightly tipping in the favour of Parkinson considering the form
that the experienced elite tour veteran had been exhibiting over the last few months.
Parkinson, current No.5 on the ASP World Title rankings, wasted very little time in getting down to business as the sixth heat got underway. Locking his first business-wave in the opening minutes of the 30-minute battle, the 31-year-old Australian unloaded
a string of stylish tricks to post a 7.67 on the score-board. He kept the momentum going and soon collected an even more impressive 8.33-point ride to get to a heat-total of 16.00 points, which earned him a comprehensive victory.
Wilkinson scored a 4.73 off his first business-wave and backed it up with a 5.50-point wave to finish with a heat-total of 10.23 points.
Crisanto finished in third place with a heat-total of 9.70 points, which included a 5.00 and 4.70-point wave. Both Wilkinson and Crisanto were forced to take a trip to Round 2 to surf again in order to earn their place in the third round.
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