Josh Kerr off to a solid start at Billabong Rio Pro – Surfing News
The third of ten stops on the 2012 Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Title Series, Billabong Rio Pro, saw Australia’s Josh Kerr claim victory in the opening heat of Round 1 that went down at the alternative venue of Arpoador in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Wednesday, May 9.
Kerr took the win by getting the better of his fellow countryperson Bede Durbidge and Brazil’s Jadson Andre, thus advancing straight into the third round while forcing his two rivals to take a trip to the relegation Round 2.
With the absence of the 11-time ASP World Champion and current No.1 on the elite tour rankings Kelly Slater withdrawing from the event due to a heel injury, it was difficult to pick a favourite at the latest edition of Billabong Rio Pro. The main event site of Barra da Tijuca did not offer suitable surfing conditions, thus compelling the organisers to kick-off Round 1 of the competition at the secondary venue of Arpoador. The fans had little to complain about as all they wanted to see was the surfing elite in action regardless of the battleground.
The first heat of Round 1 pitted Kerr against Durbidge and Andre in a three-man bout, offering the winner a ticket to Round 3 without having to compete in the second round.
Kerr, current No.5 on the ASP World Title rankings, had kicked off his latest campaign for the ASP World Title in quite a convincing manner, reaching the semi-finals at Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast and following it up with a quarter-final finish at Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach.
The Australian surfer seemed to have brought his excellent form with him to Brazil, making it quite apparent during his Round 1 clash against Durbidge and Andre.
Taking only a few minutes to warm to the conditions, Kerr locked his first business-wave to post a 5.83 on the score-board to take an early lead. He lost the lead to Durbidge halfway through the 30-minute battle, but eventually managed to reclaim it through the addition of an impressive 6.03 points to his account, which carried him to a decisive heat-total of 11.86 points.
Durbidge had managed to enjoy the lead for a while after posting a 6.50 on the score-board off his first business-wave, but a failure to back it up with another good score caused him to drop down a little. Scoring a 4.73 off his second business-wave, he finished with a heat-total of 11.23 points.
Andre was unable to make the most of his local knowledge of the waves and only managed to reach a heat-total of 9.56 points, which included a 5.33 and 4.23-point ride.
Both Durbidge and Andre headed into Round 2 to avail the opportunity of getting their names added to the Round 3 line-up.
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