Kelly Slater emerges triumphant in Round 1 of Rip Curl Pro Search - 2011 ASP World Tour
America’s Kelly Slater only needed a couple of heat-wins to add the 2011 Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Title to his collection before the start of the sixth heat of Rip Curl Pro Search San Francisco’s Round 1 that was about to run down
at Ocean Beach in San Francisco, America, on Tuesday, November 1. By the time the heat concluded, the iconic surfer was standing just one heat away from his 11th World Title.
The dominating victory in the sixth heat moved Slater directly into Round 3, where the fate of the current season was likely to be determined. Competing against the American in the heat were Australia’s Kai Otton and Dean Brady, who rounded out the second
and third position respectively to find themselves relegated to Round 2.
The 39-year-old Slater had gotten off to a perfect start in the latest season of the ASP World Tour and despite a few hiccups at a few stops, he had been sitting on top of the Rankings for quite some time now. Making his way to San Francisco for the 10th
stop of the Tour, the Florida-based surfer only needed to win two heats to seal the deal, adding another ASP World Title to his collection.
With clean three-to-five foot waves on offer at the primary event site, the stage was set for Slater to take on Otton and Brady for the Round 3 spot and first of the two required victory to seal the fate of the season.
As the three-man battle got underway, Slater only took a few minutes to put his competitors under pressure with a 7.93-point wave. To further assert his dominance, he added an additional 8.10-point wave to his account, moving to a heat-total of 16.03 points.
The score proved way too much for his heat-rivals to beat, consequently forcing them to concede victory to the American.
Expressing his joy during the post-heat interview, Slater said, “I’m stoked because I went out last night and the surf was tough, the waves were real flat and I had boots and gloves and a hood so that I could go back and feel more comfortable out there today
with less rubber on. The conditions today were a lot more fun. The water is like Jbay and I thought it’d be colder, it’s probably upper 50’s and it’s not too bad.”
Otton failed to offer a serious challenge to his formidable American rival and only managed to collect a 4.17 and 6.73 off his top-two waves, finishing with a heat-total of 10.90 points as a result.
Brady was no better than his compatriot and after a long and desperate hunt, he only managed to get to a heat-total of 9.97 points, which included a 6.17 and 3.80-point wave.
The lacklustre performance by the two Australians got them relegated to Round 2, where they needed to get a successful result in order to remain alive in the latest ASP World Tour event.
Tags: