Travis Logie and Owen Wright triumph in Round 4 of Billabong Pro Tahiti – 2011 ASP World Tour
The fifth event of the 2011 Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Tour, Billabong Pro Tahiti, kept the intense surfing action going at Teahupo’o in Taiarapu, Tahiti, with the third and fourth heat of Round 4 on Sunday, August 28.
South Africa’s Travis Logie continued to make an impact in the competition by prevailing over Brett Simpson and Australia’s Chris Davidson in the third heat to move directly into the quarter-finals. Simpson and Davidson finished in second and third place
respectively, consequently getting relegated to Round 5.
The fourth heat saw Australia’s Owen Wright put up a mesmerising performance to clinch the win and secure a spot in the quarter-finals. Brazil’s Raoni Monteiro and Hawaii’s Fredrick Patacchia rounded out the second and third place respectively and moved
to the fifth round to compete for survival.
The 32-year-old Logie had warmed up to the waves at Teahupo’o pretty well and was consistently following one amazing performance with another. His Round 4 bout against Simpson and Davidson brought him yet another success, though it did not come without a
real tough fight from both his rivals.
Logie went through a series of waves before locking one to pull off a sensational manoeuvre in the eight-to-ten foot barrel, earning 9.53 points for the effort. He soon followed it up with a 6.13-point wave to finish with a heat-total of 15.66 points.
Simpson and Davidson had no intention of letting their South African rival walk away with a comfortable win and put up a determined fight. Despite their remarkable effort, they were unable to keep Logie from clinching the win.
Simpson finished in second place after scoring 6.00 and 9.00 off his top-two waves, while Davidson finished third with a heat-total of 14.43 points. Both the surfers were relegated to the fifth round to earn their place in the quarter-final by surviving
the sudden-death battle.
The fourth heat saw the 21-year-old Wright show everyone what perfect surfing was all about, leaving his two rivals, Monteiro and Patacchia, baffled by the epic exhibition of skill and style.
The young Australian kicked off the proceedings with an early 9.77-point wave, sending the crowd and judges in awe likewise. However, it simply turned out to be a prelude to what was soon to come. Halfway through the heat, he utilised a mammoth-sized barrel
to collect a perfect 10 for the breath-taking stunt. Finishing with a heat-total of 19.77 points, Wright earned his place in the quarter-finals with a confident win.
During his post-heat interview, Wright said, “I had a dream heat. I opened up with a pretty good barrel and then Freddy [Patacchia] got a bomb. I got a solid one after that and then I just slid into that perfect runner. The waves out here are just so sizey
and meaty. I love it out here. It’s the best wave.”
Monteiro and Patacchia were left dumbfounded by the onslaught from their rampaging rival. In the end, Monteiro finished in second place with a heat-total of 12.23 points, while Patacchia rounded out the third position with a heat-total of 11.60 points. They
may have lost the battle for now, but an opportunity still awaited them in Round 5, offering them a place in the quarter-final if they were able to survive their next heat.
For updates on Round 5 of Billabong Pro Tahiti, stay tuned to bettor.com.
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