Success in Round 1 takes Tyler Wright into the third round of women’s Billabong Rio Pro
Australia’s Tyler Wright successfully advanced straight into the third round of Billabong Rio Pro, the latest stop on the 2012 Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Women’s World Title Series, after claiming a convincing victory in the second heat of
Round 1 that went down at the point-break of Arpoador in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Wednesday, May 9.
France’s Justine Dupont and New Zealand’s Paige Hareb failed to make much of an impact during the course of the heat and ended up rounding out the second and third place respectively to find themselves relegated to Round 2 to surf again for a place in the
third round.
The fifth of seven stops on the 2012 ASP Women’s World Tour was scheduled to start at Barra da Tijuca, but the surfing conditions prevailing at the main event site did not offer the sort of juice that the event organisers were hoping for. With clean two-to-four
foot waves breaking at Arpoador, it was decided to shift the opening round to the alternate event venue.
The second heat of women’s Round 1 of Billabong Rio Pro pitted Wright against Dupont and Hareb in a battle for a direct Round 3 spot.
Wright, 2011 ASP Women’s World Rookie of the Year and current No.3 on the ASP Women’s World Title rankings, had been in a form of her life since the start of the season. It was only natural to expect nothing but the most spectacular performance from her
in Brazil. Much to the delight of her fans, she did not fail to deliver.
The 18-year-old Australian got down to business in the opening minutes of the heat, unloading a series of impressive tricks to post an 8.57 on the score-board. After a long and determined hunt, she managed to add an additional 5.20 points to her account,
thus moving to a heat-total of 13.77 points.
Dupont and Hareb failed to make much of an impact during the course of the triple-threat bout. The French surfer scored a 4.50 and 3.83 off her best-two waves for a heat-total of 8.33 points, while Hareb finished in third place with a heat-total of 8.27
points, which included a 3.50 and 4.77-point ride. Both the surfers were consequently relegated to the second round, having to surf another heat to try for a Round 3 spot.
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