Round 2 of Volcom Fiji Pro features a strong comeback by surfing legend Kelly Slater
America’s Kelly Slater successfully made it into the third round of Volcom Fiji Pro, the fourth of ten stops on the 2012 Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Championship Series, after getting the better of Fiji’s Isei Tokovu in the opening heat
of Round 2 that went down at Cloudbreak in Tavarua, Fiji, on Monday, June 4.
The elimination round saw the 11-time ASP World Champion exhibit the sort of form that he is renowned for, consequently enabling him to rebound from a surprising Round 1 defeat.
The six-to-eight foot waves breaking at the primary event site on day 2 of the latest elite tour event was all set to host the man-on-man battles between the surfing elite who had faltered during their Round 1 heat on Sunday. Facing a do-or-die situation,
the surfers were expected to hold nothing back and put on determined performances, which in turn promised a thrilling show.
The reigning ASP World Champion Slater had suffered an uncharacteristic loss in the opening round to find himself relegated to the second round, where he took on the event wildcard entry Tokovu in a man-on-man battle for the Round 3 spot, with the loser
to get eliminated from the competition.
As the battle got underway, both Slater and Tokovu got off to a modest start. The 40-year-old Floridian, however, stepped up in the later stages of the heat. Getting hold of a juicy left-hander, he unloaded a series of exquisite manoeuvres to post a 7.23
on the score-board. He immediately backed it up with an impressive 8.67-point ride to move to a heat-total of 15.90 points, looking as much in control as ever.
Tokovu failed to offer much of a challenge to his rival during the course of the battles, as was reflected by his two best scores, why lay in the two and three-point range. Finishing with a heat-total of 6.10 points, the local talent had to taste defeat.
Despite getting a comprehensive win over Tokovu, Slater did not take the victory for granted and recognised the potential that the Fiji-based surfer possessed.
“It feels mellow out there and all of a sudden a 6-foot bomb comes through,” Slater said. “Isei [Tokovu] would have got a 10 on that bomb, but it was just a little too fast. There’s still a lot of energy out there, but it’s still a little slow. You can’t
underestimate a local guy in these contests, they surf here all the time and know which ones are the best waves.”
With his win in the second round, Slater headed into Round 3 where he was to take on Hawaii’s Fredrick Patacchia in a man-on-man battle for the Round 4 spot.
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