Joel Parkinson prevails over John John Florence in second semi-final at Billabong Pro Tahiti
Australia’s Joel Parkinson joined is fellow countryperson Mick Fanning the final at Billabong Pro Tahiti after clinching the win over Hawaii’s John John Florence in the second semi-final that went down at Teahupo’o in Taiarapu, Tahiti, on Monday, August
27.
It turned out to be an exciting contest for the title shot, with both the surfers pushing real hard during the course of the battle.
Parkinson was undoubtedly the favourite to win the heat because of his years of experience and the fact that he had been in a formidable form since the start of the season. However, the battle was expected to be entertaining as Florence, ASP World Tour rookie,
had proven himself to be wiser beyond his years, refusing to let the heavy-weights of surfing intimidate him.
Finding classic four-to-six foot waves breaking at the primary event site, the two surfers were all pumped up to deliver solid performances to finish on top.
As the battle got underway, it did not take much time for the two surfers to make their determination evident and clearly convey the message that they were not in the mood to settle for anything less than a win.
Parkinson locked his first business-wave to launch into a series of exquisite tricks, earning an average of 9.57 points from the judges. However, Florence stepped up to meet the challenge head on, showing off his own stylish skills on an excellent wave to
open his account with a score of 9.67.
As the man-on-man continued, the Australian powerhouse managed to add an additional 7.57 points to his account, thus moving to a challenging heat-total of 17.14 points.
Florence had his work cut out for him, needing to score big off his second business-wave in order to have any realistic change of downing his rival. He continued to search for an opportunity to arrive, but failed to find any. In the dying minutes of the
heat, he locked a 5.50-point ride to finish with a heat-total of 15.17 points, consequently surrendering to his rival.
“I’m stoked to have made the Semifinals,” Florence said. “I would have loved to make the Finals and it’s not the funnest way to lose without a lot of waves in the heat, but it’s still a good result for me. Thanks to all the Tahitians for letting us come
here and surf their wave for the week. It’s a beautiful place and I always love coming here.”
Parkinson and Fanning will face-off in the final of Billabong Pro Tahiti to decide who gets to take home the coveted title.
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