Mick Fanning downs Joel Parkinson to earn title shot at Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach – Surfing News
Australia’s Mick Fanning advanced through into the final stage of Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach, second of ten stops on the 2012 Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Title Series, after prevailing over his fellow countryman Joel Parkinson in the second
Semi-final that went down at Bells Beach in Victoria, Australia, on Friday, April 6.
Both Fanning and Parkinson had been a standout throughout the course of the event, following one exquisite performance with another as they took on the best surfers from around the globe.
Mother Nature had blessed the event site with clean three-to-five foot waves on what was most likely going to be the final day of the competition. This gave the elite surfers plenty of opportunity to bring forth their most technical and stylish tricks during
their hunt for a couple of big scores.
Parkinson, 2011 ASP World Runner-up and defending Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach champion, was looking to go all out during his Semi-final encounter with the Gold Coast-based Fanning as the latter was expected to bring on his A-game as well. The latter’s huge
array of skills and vast experience had earned him ASP World Title twice and was not someone to be taken lightly under any circumstances, a fact that Parkinson was all-too-well aware of.
As the battle to earn a place in the Final got underway, the 30-year-old Parkinson wasted no time in getting down to business and immediately began his charge to lock a relatively juicy wave. Unloading a series of sharp turns on it, the stylish natural-footer
posted a 6.50 on the score-board for an early lead.
Fanning did not remain patient for long and responded to his rival with a 7.50 off his first business-wave. Keeping the momentum going, the 30-year-old Australian got himself in a position to catch one of the best waves of the heat. Displaying his classy
surfing on his second business-wave, Fanning added an additional 8.33 to his account to take his heat-total to 15.83 points.
Parkinson came under immense pressure with his rival’s eight-point ride and stepped up his effort to find an adequate response. However, he was only able to improve his heat-total by 7.93 points, consequently finishing with a heat-total of 14.43 points.
As a result, he was forced to concede victory to Fanning, sending the latter through into the next round.
The defending event champion was all praises for his rival after their Semi-final clash.
“I told Mick [Fanning] to ring that thing,” Parkinson conceded during his post-heat interview. “He beat me and I hope he beats Kelly [Slater]. No one is more deserving. He’s come close so many times and put more time in here than anyone. If it wasn’t me,
I couldn’t think of anyone else I’d want to see win it. We’ve had lots of battles and today I couldn’t get a good turn in. I was hoping for more waves and I was hoping to surf it out rather than sit it out. It’d be great to see Mick win it today”
The former two-time ASP World Champion Fanning will go head-to-head with the 11-time ASP World Champion Kelly Slater from America in the Final of Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach.
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