Slater and Fanning make the finals at Volcom Fiji Pro – Surfing news
America’s Kelly Slater and Australia’s Mick Fanning emerged triumphant in their respective semi-final heats at the Volcom Fiji Pro, stop no.4 on the 2013 Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Championship Tour, which continued at the primary event
site of Cloudbreak in Tavarua, Fiji, on Wednesday, June 12, 2013.
Slater got the better of Hawaii’s John John Florence in the first semi-final to earn his place in the final, while Fanning downed America’s C.J. Hobgood in the second semi-final to earn himself a shot at the event title.
With pumping six-to-eight foot barrels on offer at the main event venue, the crowd finally got to witness two of the event’s most in-form surfers going head-to-head in conditions that were ideal for their style of surfing.
The ability of Slater, 11-time ASP World Champion, and Florence, an ASP World Championship Tour rookie, to create magic in pumping barrels was no secret whatsoever, but the last-two heats that they surfed in had left the crowd as well as the judges stunned
with awe.
The first semi-final had both the surfers competing for a place in the final, thus promising plenty of fireworks.
As the heat got underway, the 41-year-old Slater immediately got down to business and earned himself a 9.40 to grab an early lead.
He kept the momentum going and went on to add an additional 8.77 points to his account, thus finishing with a heat-total of 18.17 points.
Florence was unable to come up with an adequate response to his rival’s rampage and eventually finished with a heat-total of 14.00 points, which included an impressive 8.17 and a modest 5.83-point ride.
“It would have been nice to go one round further and make the finals, but a third is a good result and we got sick waves throughout the event,” Florence said. “To get a third in my first event back since my injury is a good start and hopefully I can do well
in Bali.”
The second semi-final featured plenty of adrenaline-pumping action as well, with both Fanning and Hobgood putting their determination to grab the finals’ spot on display.
The battle went down to the wire, with both the surfers fighting tooth-and-nail for the best waves that appeared during the course of the heat.
Once the dust settled, however, it was Fanning who stood victorious after registering a heat-total of 17.07, courtesy of a 9.07 and 8.00-point ride, whereas Hobgood was finally eliminated from the competition after finishing with a heat-total of 16.70 points,
which comprised of a couple of scores in the eight-point range.
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