Kolohe Andino downs John John Florence to clinch 2011 Nike US Open of Surfing quarter-final spot
The crowd continued to get treated to a heavy dose of adrenaline-pumping action with the third heat of 2011 Nike US Open of Surfing’s knock-out Round of 12 (Round 5) that went down at the Huntington Beach Pier, California, on Saturday, August 6.
The heat saw America’s Kolohe Andino come up with an exceptional performance to dominate his head-to-head battle against Hawaii’s John John Florence. The fate of the heat guaranteed Andino’s place in the quarter-finals, while bringing his rival’s current
Association of Surfing Professional (ASP) Prime event campaign to a premature end.
The clean two-to-four foot waves breaking at the Hunting Beach Pier promised a day full of exciting battles and the contest between Andino and Florence delivered just that.
The 17-year-old San Clemente-native, Andino, enjoys a reputation of being the future of American surfing and he surely justified the hype that surrounds him on Saturday while facing Hawaiian’s in-form surfer in a battle for the quarter-final spot.
As the third heat kicked off, it was difficult to pick a favourite, but Andino soon changed that and tilted the scales in his favour after finding his way into a clean barrel to earn 8.50 points for the outstanding effort. A few minutes later, he caught
another swell to pull off a massive air-reverse and earn another impressive wave-score of 7.60 points. Finishing with a heat-total of 16.10 points, he presented his rival with a daunting task.
The 18-year-old Florence tried to put up a fight, but failed to come up with a decent response to Andino’s onslaught. Finishing with a heat-total of 12.17 points, which included a 5.60 and 6.57-point wave, the Hawaiian had no choice but to embrace victory,
sending his rival to the quarter-finals.
Talking to a reporter after the heat, Andino said, “Conditions are really fun, especially for airs and high-performance surfing and I’m stoked to make it through. I had a blast. Once I got that first 8.5 I knew I had to get at least a 7.5 to put John John
(Florence) in a combo. I really wanted to put him in a combo to have a better chance to win the heat.”
After his confident win over Florence, the young American sensation will be going against compatriot Dane Reynolds in his quarter-final heat. The last time the two faced each other, Reynolds had walked away with top honours, making the upcoming showdown
more of a fight for vengeance as far as Andino was concerned. It would surely be exciting to watch how the battle unfolds.
For more updates on Round 5 of 2011 Nike US Open of Surfing, stay tuned to bettor.com.
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