Josh Kerr and Kelly Slater prevail in Round 4 of Billabong Pro Tahiti – 2011 ASP World Tour
Billabong Pro Tahiti kept the action going at Teahupo’o in Taiarapu, Tahiti, with the first and second heat of Round 4 on Sunday, August 28, as Josh Kerr and Kelly Slater won their heats.
Australia’s Josh Kerr walked away with top honours from the first heat by defeating French Jeremy Flores and Australian Kai Otton, who finished second and third respectively. The outcome of the heat put Kerr directly into the quarter-finals, whereas Flores
and Otton found themselves relegated to Round 5.
The second heat featured yet another exceptional performance by America’s Kelly Slater as he prevailed over Australia’s Matt Wilkinson and Tahiti’s Michel Bourez to advance to the quarter-finals. Wilkinson and Bourez rounded out the second and third position,
consequently getting relegated to the fifth round.
What had started off as a great day for surfing, with eight-to-ten foot waves gracing the event site, had gradually turned into a challenging test for the world’s top surfers as it became increasingly difficult to ride waves and maintain control.
Despite the demanding conditions, the 27-year-old Kerr managed to hold his own as he faced Flores and Otton in a battle for the quarter-final spot. While he was only able to catch two waves, Kerr successfully made the most out of them, earning 6.67 points
off the first and an outstanding 9.63 off the second to finish with a heat-total of 16.30 points. The score remained unbeatable till the end and eventually carried him off to victory.
Flores got off to a slow start, earning 3.83 points off his first wave, but caught an impressive 8.33-point wave later on to finish with a heat-total of 12.16 points. However, his effort turned out to be in vain as he settled for runner-up place, consequently
moving to Round 5.
The third competitor, Otton, was unable to make a solid impact and finished in third place after scoring 2.93 and 5.17 points off his final two waves of the heat. He also moved to Round 5 to compete for a place in the quarter-finals.
Heat 2 turned out to be a one-man show with the 10-time Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Champion, Slater, completely stealing the show as he downed Wilkinson and Bourez in the three-man battle.
As the heat kicked off, the 39-year-old Slater locked the first wave that came his way to throw down a string of impressive tricks, earning 7.17 points off it and taking an early lead. He later added an additional 6.60 points to his account to finish with
a heat-total of 13.77 points, which eventually earned him victory and a place in the quarter-finals.
Wilkinson and Bourez struggled to adjust to the conditions and had little luck with catching waves. A two-wave total of 6.50 points put Wilkinson in second place, while Bourez finished third with a disappointing heat-total of 2.90 points. Both the surfers
were relegated to the fifth round as a result, still alive in the race for now but standing real close to the edge.
For more updates on Round 4 of Billabong Pro Tahiti, stay tuned to bettor.com.
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