Mooie omstandigheden tijdens de 3e en 4e ronde van de Hurley Pro
Het is alweer de derde wedstrijddag van de 6e stop van de ASP World Championship Tour bij Lower Trestles. En met mooie cleane 1.5 meter hoge golven konden ’s werelds beste golven het beste van zichzelf laten zien.
Voormalig winnaar van het evenement Kelly Slater wist in de derde ronde zijn tegenstander Matt Wilkinson te verslaan en gaat met deze overwinning door naar de volgende ronde.
“I think the lefts are a little steeper this morning,” aldus Kelly Slater. “The rights are longer, but the lefts do have some corners on them. It’s funny, because it looks so perfect and it’s actually really flat and soft. It’s not as easy to surf as it looks right now, plus that early morning sun is right in your eyes.”
Kelly Slater wist zeven keer de finale te behalen in de 12 jaar dat het evenement gehouden wordt. En hij heeft daarom een speciale connectie met het evenement, en zet dan ook alles op alles om het evenement te winnen.
“I love Lowers,” legt Kelly Slater uit. “It’s been one of my favorite waves since I was a little kid. I surfed here for the first time in 1984 and it was really exciting to come to California for my first time and surf here. I won my first contest as a pro out here. I just feel like I have a good connection here. Tom Curren was my favorite surfer and he won his first event here so it was really special to me to get my first win here as a pro. It was right when I started with Quiksilver. I’ve been surfing contests here since 1989, so it’s been a long time!”
Kelly Slater staat momenteel vierde op de ASP rankings, hij beseft zich dat dan ook des te meer. Er is geen ruimte meer om fouten te maken.
“My back is against the wall to be honest,” aldus Kelly Slater. “Every heat is really important if I want to be in the title race at the end of the year. I don’t really have any room to move after missing Brazil and just a stupid mistake in Tahiti where Ricardo got me. Those are my two throwaways for the year, but sometimes that’s good though. It helps you keep your focus. I’ve just got to make the right choices and hope I don’t get smashed by someone early on.”
Kelly Slater werd derde in de vierde ronde en zal het in de vijfde ronde opnemen tegen Jeremy Flores.
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HURLEY PRO TRESTLES RONDE 5 MATCH UPS:
Heat 1: Julian Wilson (AUS) vs. Mick Fanning (AUS)
Heat 2: Jeremy Flores (FRA) vs. Kelly Slater (USA)
Heat 3: Josh Kerr (AUS) vs. Jordy Smith (ZAF)
Heat 4: Adriano de Souza (BRA) vs.Gabriel Medina (BRA)
HURLEY PRO TRESTLES NON ELIMINATION RONDE 4:
Heat 1: Taj Burrow (AUS) 12.93, Julian Wilson (AUS) 12.60, Kelly Slater (USA) 11.20
Heat 2: Adrian Buchan (AUS) 17.23, Jeremy Flores (FRA) 15.97, Mick Fanning (AUS) 10.17
Heat 3: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 17.87, Gabriel Medina (BRA) 15.40, Josh Kerr (AUS) 13.63
Heat 4: John John Florence (HAW) 18.57, Adriano de Souza (BRA) 16.27, Jordy Smith (ZAF) 12.67
HURLEY PRO TRESTLES RONDE 3 RESULTATEN:
Heat 1: Kelly Slater (USA) 15.70 def. Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 10.00
Heat 2: Julian Wilson (AUS) 14.03 def. Alejo Muniz (BRA) 12.34
Heat 3: Taj Burrow (AUS) 15.60 def. Adam Melling (AUS) 14.30
Heat 4: Jeremy Flores (FRA) 16.20 def. Kai Otton (AUS) 12.23
Heat 5: Adrian Buchan (AUS) 18.13 def. Heitor Alves (BRA) 8.93
Heat 6: Mick Fanning (AUS) 15.34 def. Dusty Payne (HAW) 13.33
Heat 7: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 18.33 def. Taylor Knox (USA) 13.33
Heat 8: Gabriel Medina (BRA) 17.37 def. Michel Bourez (PYF) 17.06
Heat 9: Josh Kerr (AUS) 13.53 def. Bede Durbidge (AUS) 9.67
Heat 10: Adriano de Souza (BRA) 17.20 def. Travis Logie (ZAF) 15.77
Heat 11: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 14.67 def. Brett Simpson (USA) 10.90
Heat 12: John John Florence (HAW) 14.44 def. Yadin Nicol (AUS) 9.90
