Julian Wilson prevails over Owen Wright to secure quarter-final spot at Volcom Fiji Pro
An impressive performance by Australia’s Julian Wilson enabled him to get the better of his fellow countryperson Owen Wright in the third heat of Volcom Fiji Pro’s Round 5 that continued at the primary event site of Cloudbreak in Tavarua, Fiji, on Sunday,
June 10.
The victory resulted in the confirmation of Wilson place in the quarter-finals, while putting an end to Wright’s superb run at the fourth of ten stops on the 2012 Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Championship Tour.
“It feels good to get one back on Owen [Wright],” Wilson said. “I knew it’d be a tough draw with Owen on his forehand out here and I’ve had some good heats with him and I’m happy to get that one. I started the heat with some turns and a little head dip.
It’s pretty clean out there on the faces and I’m just trying to adapt to the conditions.”
The latest day of the competition brought the surfers back to the main venue after spending the previous day competing in draining four-to-six foot barrels at the alternate event site of Restaurants. The open ocean reef pass was not short of promising scoring
opportunities either, with four-to-six foot waves appearing regularly. However, the gradual increase in wind was becoming a source of challenge and somewhat discomfort for the surfers. It was becoming increasingly difficult to ride the heat and pull of tricks
cleanly, consequently making the collection of big scores a real demanding task.
Wright had put on a sensational performance during his previous heat, though he was unable to deprive the 11-time ASP World Champion Kelly Slater from the quarter-final spot. He found himself pitted against Wilson in a man-on-man battle during the third
heat of Round 5 with one final chance of advancing into the next stage of the competition. The battle was not going to be an easy one as his rival had been exhibiting a formidable form for quite some time now.
As the heat got underway, both the surfers traded blows throughout the course of the battle. Wilson, however, maintained an upper-hand over his rival after scoring a 7.00 off his first business-wave and backing it up with a score of 7.83 off his second business-wave
to reach a heat-total of 14.83 points.
Wright only managed to collect a 5.60 and 6.40 off his best-two waves, thus finishing with a heat-total of 12.00 points. Despite showing immense determination and making a desperate effort, the 22-year-old Australian had to leave the competition field, making
way for Wilson to advance into the quarter-finals.
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