Sebastien Zietz claims the Reef Hawaiian Pro title
Hawaii’s Sebastien Zietz took out the Reef Hawaiian Pro, first of three events on the 30th anniversary Vans Triple Crown of Surfing, after taking a convincing victory in the final that went down at the North Shore of Oahu in Hawaii on Saturday,
November 24, 2012.
With a successful result in at Haleiwa, he got himself a head-start in the latest edition of the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing and would surely be dripping with confidence as he makes his way to the next stop, Vans World Cup at Sunset Beach.
The Hawaiian surfer found himself taking on his fellow countryperson John John Florence and Fredrick Patacchia, along with Brazil’s Alejo Muniz during the final of the Reef Hawaiian Pro.
With a winning prize of $40,000 on offer, along with the chance for the surfers to earn themselves coveted Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) ranking points was a strong enough motivation for the surfers to push hard during the course of the battle.
Zietz, who had looked quite at ease over the last week, continued his excellent run of form during the final.
As the battle for top honours got underway, the local talent got down to business right away. Adjusting exceptionally well to the waves on offer, he got hold of his first business-wave, which he utilised to pull off a series of exquisite tricks. The move
earned him an average of 9.43 points, thus placing him in the lead.
As the heat continued, he went on to back it up with an 8.33-point ride, which took him to heat-total of 17.76 points.
The heat-total kept him in the lead until the end to eventually seal the fate of the battle in his favour.
Florence was also pretty impressive throughout the course of the competition, but failed to get the desired result for his efforts during the final.
Earning a 9.20 off his first business-wave, he got himself in a position to challenge his rival’s score. However, he only managed to back it up with a 5.50-point ride, thus finishing with a heat-total of 14.70 points, which eventually put him in second place.
Patacchia finished in third place after finishing with a heat-total of 13.50 points, which included a 7.10 and 6.40-point ride, while Muniz had to settle for a two-wave total of 8.70 points, which included a 5.07 and 3.63-point ride.
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