Stunning performances take Damien Hobgood and Kelly Slater to Round 4 at Vans World Cup of Surfing
America’s Damien Hobgood and his compatriot Kelly Slater powered their way into the fourth heat (Round of 32) at the Vans World of Surfing, second jewel on the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing, after clinching victory in their respective Round 3 (Round of 64)
heats that went down at Sunset Beach in Oahu, Hawaii, on Monday, December 3, 2012.
Hobgood emerged triumphant in the seventh heat, while Australia’s Jay Thompson finished in second place to accompany the heat winner into the next round. Australia’s Matt Wilkinson and Hawaii’s Granger Larsen rounded out the bottom-two positions, thus getting
removed from the contention for the event title.
The eighth heat saw reigning 11-time Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Champion Slater claim victory, while Australia’s Lincoln Taylor secured second place. Both the surfers consequently made it through into the next round. Australia’s Jack
Freestone and Hawaii’s Kalani Chapman finished in third and fourth place respectively, which resulted in their premature elimination from the competition.
With a hefty prize purse and coveted Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) ranking points on offer, the surfers put on solid performances to entertain the crowd throughout the day.
Hobgood continued to display a decent form on the latest day of the competition and successfully took down Thompson, Wilkinson and Larsen during the seventh heat.
The American surfer got his hands on an 8.60 off his first business-wave and went on to back it up with a 7.23-point ride, thus finishing with a decisive heat-total of 15.83 points.
Thompson made the Round 4 cut as well after finishing in second place with a heat-total of 11.86 points, which comprised of a couple of waves in the five-point range.
Wilkinson finished third after registering a heat-total of 5.64 points, while Larsen finished in last place after finishing with a two-wave total of 4.77 points.
The eighth heat saw Slater refresh the memory of his rivals and the crowd regarding his reputation of being the best in the business.
The 40-year-old Floridian surfer locked his first business-wave to post an 8.67 on the score-board and went on to add an additional 8.37 points to his account, thus finishing with a heat-total of 17.04 points.
Taylor was able to extend his life in the competition as well after securing second-place finish with a heat-total of 12.33 points, which included a 6.50 and 5.83-point ride.
Freestone finished third with a heat-total of 12.20 points, while Chapman had to settle for bottom position after registering a heat-total of 8.17 points.
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