Julian Wilson downs Miguel Pupo to secure Round 4 spot at Volcom Fiji Pro – Surfing News
Australia’s Julian Wilson took a convincing victory over Brazil’s Miguel Pupo in the 11th heat of Volcom Fiji Pro’s Round 3 that went down at the secondary event site of Restaurants in Tavarua, Fiji, on Saturday, June 9.
With his success in the third round, Wilson advanced through into Round 4 of the fourth of ten stops on the 2012 Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Champion Tour, while removing his rival from the competition field.
Despite deserting the mammoth-sized swell at the main venue of Cloudbreak, the surfing elite found themselves competing in ideal conditions at Restaurants. The draining four-to-six foot waves on offer served as an ideal canvas for the surfers to display
their huge array of skills on, while there was just enough challenge presented by the barrels to make the battles intense. The day had already featured a couple of perfect rides and it was hard to shake off the feeling that there was more to come.
The 11th heat of Round 3 saw Wilson and Pupo square it off in man-on-man battle for survival. With the pressure of elimination hanging over their heads, both the surfers were expected to push hard to try getting their hands on the win. The Australian
young gun in particular was once again making an impressive impact after claiming the 2011 ASP World Rookie of the Year award last year.
As the 11th heat got underway, both the surfers found their patience getting tested during the early stages of the heat. Almost halfway through the heat, the sea decided to show off its generosity and began to send juicy barrels towards the surfers.
Wilson wasted no time in grabbing the opportunity as it appeared. Swiftly paddling towards a potent wave, the Australian surfer unloaded a series of impressive tricks to post a 7.33 on the score-board. He soon backed it up with an even more impressive 8.50-point
ride to move to a heat-total of 15.83 points.
Pupo struggled with his rhythm throughout the course of the battle. Despite a determined effort, he was only able to score a 5.67 and 6.67 off his best-two waves to finish with a heat-total of 12.34 points. The 3.49-point deficit caused him to surrender
victory and thus the Round 4 spot to his rival.
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