Stephanie Gilmore bounces back after Round 3 loss at the Commonwealth Bank Beachley Classic
The second heat of the Commonwealth Bank Beachley Classic’s Round 4 at Dee Why point in Sydney, Australia, on Friday, April 20, saw Australia’s Stephanie Gilmore get the better of France’s Justine Dupont to advance through into the Quarter-finals.
The failure to put on a solid performance despite pushed against the edge forced Dupont to step out of the contention for the event.
The surfing conditions prevailing at the primary event site were quite demanding, putting the skills and experience of the prestigious female surfers to test. The fourth of seven stops on the 2012 Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Women’s World
Title Series was turning out to be quite an intense affair as the competition field continued to get thinner with every round, leaving only the most in-form surfers in the race for the event title while sending the rest packing.
Gilmore, former four-time ASP Women’s World Champion and current No.1 on the ASP Women’s World Tour rankings, had announced herself as a force to reckoned with since the start of the 2012 women’s elite tour. Very little had changed in her form as she reached
Dee Why point, though Hawaii’s Malia Manuel had managed to push past her during their Round 3 clash to force her into taking the harder road to the Quarter-final.
The heavily experienced Australian surfer was up against the 2012 ASP Women’s World Tour rookie Dupont in the second heat of Round 4. The 20-year-old French surfer had the odds against her, though there was always a chance for an upset to happen as was seen
during Gilmore’s previous heat.
Once the second heat of Round 4 kicked-off, the Australian surfer wasted no time in stamping her authority over her inexperienced rival. She locked her first business-wave in the opening minutes of the battle to post a 5.00 on the score-board to grab an
early lead and cemented it with a 7.50-point ride in the dying minutes of the heat to finish with a two-wave total of 12.50 points.
Dupont showed immense determination as she caught wave after wave while searching for a competitive score. However, she failed to pose any serious threat to her rival. Scoring a 2.90 and 4.10 off her best-two waves left her with no choice but to surrender
victory to Gilmore in the end.
The exhilarating surfing action continued at Dee Why point with the remaining heats of the Commonwealth Bank Beachley Classic’s Round 4.
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