Kieren Perrow and Kolohe Andino kick-off Billabong Pipe Masters with ideal results
Australia’s Kieren Perrow and America’s Kolohe Andino advanced to the second round at the Billabong Pipe Masters in Memory of Andy Irons after claiming victory in their respective Round 1 heats that went down at Pipeline in Oahu, Hawaii, on Saturday, December 8, 2012.
The opening heat of the competition saw Perrow put on an exquisite performance to get the better of Hawaii’s Evan Valiere, forcing the latter out of the contention for the event title as a result.
The second heat saw Hawaii’s Tyler Newton concede to Andino in what turned out to be a low-scoring battle, consequently getting eliminated from the competition.
With the Billabong Pipe Masters being the final stop on the 2012 Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Title Champion as well as the third and final jewel on the 30th anniversary Vans Triple Crown of Surfing, the hype surrounding the event was hardly without merit.
Pumping six-to-eight foot waves greeted the world’s best surfers at one of the most challenging and exciting surfing spots that any country has to offer.
The proceedings kicked-off with Perrow taking on Valiere in a one-on-man battle for the Round 2 spot.
The 35-year-old Perrow, defending event champion, did not get off to the best of starts, but eventually managed to pull himself together just in time to finish on top of his rival, who happened to be a Pipeline specialist.
Getting himself an 8.17 and 6.83-point ride in the back-half of the heat, the Australian surfer finished with a final heat-total of 15.00 points against Valiere’s two-wave total of 9.50, comprising of a 5.17 and 4.33-point ride.
“That felt like a final,” Perrow said. “I was expecting Evan (Valiere) to pull off some bombs. He’s an unreal surfer out here. We were out of position on those sets, but I’m glad we were and he wasn’t in position. It was a nerve-wracking heat being in the first one of the event and I’m just glad to get the win.”
The second heat saw Pipeline lose its generosity and thus leaving Andino and Newton with a challenging task of searching for grabbing ordinary scoring opportunities.
The American young-gun managed to eventually emerge triumphant after getting to a heat-total of 6.50 points with the help of a 4.67 and 1.83-point ride, while Newton had to settle for a heat-total of 6.26 points, which included a 3.43 and 2.83-point wave.
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