John John Florence falls to Kelly Slater in second Quarter-final of 2011 Billabong Pipe Masters
The most anticipated clash at the 2011 edition of Billabong Pipe Masters in Memory of Andy Irons was without any doubt the one between America’s Kelly Slater and Hawaii’s John John Florence. After meeting each other in the fourth round, where the latter got the better of Slater, the two surfers came face to face once again, this time in the second Quarter-final to battle it out for the coveted Semi-final slot in firing four-to-eight foot waves on offer at the renowned Banzai Pipeline in Oahu, Hawaii, on Saturday, December 10.
There had been a number of exquisite performances throughout the course of the final stop of the 2011 Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Tour, which also served as the final leg of 2011 Vans Triple Crown of Surfing, the second most prestigious series in men’s surfing. However, there is hardly anyone who would argue with the fact that Florence had been one of the biggest highlights of the event.
The Pipeline local had entered the event as a leader in the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing series after emerging victorious in the first stop, Reef Hawaiian Pro, last month and finishing at fifth place at the second leg of the series, Vans World Cup of Surfing, during the first week of December. Not only was he pursuing the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing title, he was also looking to make a solid impact in the ASP World Tour event, which comprised of the surfing elite from all around the world.
The 19-year-old Florence had gotten off to a stumbling start at Billabong Pipe Masters, but bounced back with an outstanding performance in Round 2. From there on, he had put on an epic show in waves that had been troubling even the most experienced of surfers. With a couple of 10s and high 9s, Florence had announced himself as a merciless and formidable force to be reckoned with in the surf break of Pipeline.
Slater, on the other hand, was competing at Hawaii completely free of pressure as he had already secured his 11th ASP World Title in the previous event, Rip Curl Pro San Francisco, in the first week of November and therefore had little to lose. The 39-year-old iconic surfer had been looking forward to surfing the Pipeline throughout the year and was focused on making the most of the opportunity to ride his favourite waves.
The demanding conditions at the primary event site had seen many heavy weights of surfing fall to the local talent and Slater was one of them. However, he had recovered from the stumble and made his way into the Quarter-finals to face the force that had gotten the better of him a day earlier.
As the second Quarter-final kicked off, Florence got off to a solid start and posted a 7.00 on the score-board off his first business-wave to push his American rival on the back-foot He remained on a look-out for another opportunity to capitalise on and eventually came across it in the later stages of the heat. Riding through a barrel, the young Hawaiian sensational added an additional 9.70 points to his account, moving to an extremely competitive heat-total of 16.70 points.
The Florida-based Slater remained rather unthreatening for most part of the heat. With three minutes left in the heat, the 2011 ASP World Champion was yet to collect a single competitive wave-score. Not one to give in to pressure, Slater held on to his nerve and went for a couple of back-door barrels to post a 9.70 and 7.83 on the score-board, surpassing Florence while claiming the Semi-final spot.
Despite a superb performance, the young Hawaiian was unable to keep Slater from seeking redemption. However, the Floridian was all praise for Florence and his outstanding performance at Pipeline, while conceding that the 19-year-old sensation was definitely going to be the man to watch out for at Pipeline in the future.
Florence may have gotten eliminated from the event, but he did not leave the competition site empty-handed. His sensational performance at all three stops of the Vans Tripe Crown of Surfing series earned him the boasting rights for becoming the youngest surfer to lift the prestigious trophy. One surely has all the reasons to believe that the world would be hearing much more of the young Hawaiian in the coming years.
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