Malia Manuel shocks Stephanie Gilmore to enter Commonwealth Bank Beachley Classic Quarter-finals
Hawaii’s Malia Manuel walked away with top honours from the second heat of the Commonwealth Bank Beachley Classic’s Round 3 that went down at Dee Why point in Sydney, Australia, on Friday, April 20.
Manuel’s success in the third round allowed her to advance through straight into the Quarter-finals, forcing Australia’s Stephanie Gilmore and Peru’s Sofia Mulanovich into the relegation Round 4 to enter the sea once again to take another shot at the Quarter-final
spot.
The surfing conditions prevailing at the primary event site turned out to be quite promising, setting up a nice stage for the series of battles that were scheduled to take place on Friday. The clean four-to-six foot waves offered plenty of opportunities
to the prestigious female surfers to put their skills on display as they battled each other to progress in the fourth of seventh stops on the 2012 Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Women’s World Title Series.
The second heat of Round 3 pitted Gilmore, former four-time ASP Women’s World Champion and current No.1 on the ASP Women’s World Tour, against Manuel and Mulanovich in the battle for the Quarter-final spot. The Australian surfer was a heavy favourite prior
to the heat considering her current form.
However, Manuel surprised both her rivals as well as the crowd by coming up with a top performance to claim victory. The 18-year-old Hawaiian scored an impressive 8.25 off her first business-wave and backed it up with a 6.75-point ride to finish with a heat-total
of 15.00 points. The score surprisingly remained unbeatable to carry her to victory.
“It was a good battle,” Manuel said after the heat. “There are some beautiful waves out there. I knew there were some good scores to be had. Steph [Gilmore] is amazing! She’s my favourite surfer and I look up to her. There’s a good ledge out there that pushes
you when you take off, it’s nice to have some fun, clean waves.”
The 24-year-old Gilmore finished in second place after locking a couple of six-point rides for a heat-total of 13.00 points. She, along with Mulanovich who scored a heat-total of 4.50 points, was relegated to the fourth round to have another go at securing
her place in the Quarter-finals.
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