Combos John John Florence in final!
A few minutes ago, Kelly Slater grabbed the lingering, perhaps final win, of his three-decade career, combo-ing John John Florence in the final of the Tahiti Pro.
Kelly included a 9.77 and a 9.90 in his heat total of 19.67. John John, who suffered a possible knee injury on one wipeout, scored an eight and 7.23 for a combined total of 15.23.
The win propelled forty-four-year-old Kelly eleven places on the tour ratings, from nineteenth to eighth place.
His last three results now include a third, a fifth and a first.
Did you watch the contest? Did you, too, have the sense that Kelly, who has won the Tahiti Pro five times, and who ran a perfect heat in round five against Bruno Santos, was impossible to beat? That this might be his last wonderful gesture?
“I had my hand on this trophy two years (growling)… and I let it go!” said Kelly, afterwards. To the naysayers, he admitted that as a WCT level surfer, y’gotta “be heavily scrutinised.”
As for the fairly ludicrous attempts to drag him into the world title game, “I only have another 18,000 points to catch those guys,” he said wryly.
Let’s examine the highlights!
First the final!
Now see Julian and John John’s quarterfinal here.
Kelly wins the Andy Irons award!
See John John’s road to the final…
And Kelly’s…
BILLABONG PRO TAHITI FINAL RESULTS:
1: Kelly Slater (USA) 19.67
2: John John Florence (HAW) 15.23
BILLABONG PRO TAHITI SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
SF 1: Kelly Slater (USA) 18.40 def. Adrian Buchan (AUS) 16.10
SF 2: John John Florence (HAW) 19.66 def. Gabriel Medina (BRA) 19.23
BILLABONG PRO TAHITI QUARTERFINAL RESULTS:
QF 1: Adrian Buchan (AUS) 18.16 def. Kolohe Andino (USA) 16.00
QF 2: Kelly Slater (USA) 19.27 def. Bruno Santos (BRA) 17.43
QF 3: Gabriel Medina (BRA) 17.90 def. Josh Kerr (AUS) 13.40
QF 4: John John Florence (HAW) 17.34 def. Julian Wilson (AUS) 16.60
BILLABONG PRO TAHITI ROUND 5 MATCH-UPS:
Heat 1: Adrian Buchan (AUS) 16.77 def. Jordy Smith (ZAF) 12.60
Heat 2: Kelly Slater (USA) 20.00 def. Keanu Asing (HAW) 14.70
Heat 3: Gabriel Medina (BRA) 15.43 def. Jadson Andre (BRA) 14.33
Heat 4: John John Florence (HAW) 18.30 def. Joel Parkinson (AUS) 15.90
2016 WSL Jeep Leaderboard Top 5 (after Billabong Pro Tahiti):
1. John John Florence (HAW) 39,900 pts
2. Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 36,000 pts
3. Gabriel Medina (BRA) 35,700 pts
4. Adrian Buchan (AUS) 26,200 pts
5. Julian Wilson (AUS) 25,200 pts
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Kelly’s emotional interview through a WSL lens.
And now a nation’s eyes can turn safely to Pacifica…
http://www.surfdogchampions…
Dear WSL, you seriously couldn’t cut the heat recap short to show one of the only exchanges of the final? I get it, no one likes watching surfers bob while Turpel and Potter banter, but seriously, a webcast has one job: show live action. If I wanted replays, I’d go back to work and hit the green dots later.
Long Live The King!
So that’s about as good as pro surfing can get: great surf, title race drama, super stars in it at the end, etc., but I’d love to see the webcast viewer numbers from say, Chicago or any other middle America city. I’m pretty sure the subtle complexities of what when down yesterday is completely lost on non-surfers.
Zero mention on ESPN.com today.
I guess we needed a shark or two.
I thought Medina was the most exciting to watch; he surfed with such stoke and positive energy.
I’m not calling conspiracy or saying he should have won, but I loved watching him surf. Bruno Santos, too, until he crumbled.
JJF is obviously a ridiculous talent – possibly the best in the world, now and for the foreseeable future – but in my eyes he never really looks like he’s enjoying himself.
He’s so smooth, it’s like he’s just out for an evening walk. Not sprinting, or skipping, just walking, very smoothly.
I agree. His nonchalance and casual skill in serious waves are unreal. There just seemed to be something a little flat about his body language; maybe he’s just so unfazed by the whole thing, that he’s half falling asleep 🙂
No, just no.
agreed. thought he beat jjf in the semis. medinas waves were bigger and he was deeper. he surfed each wave perfectly.
Watching again, now, i feel Medina won by gut feeling but it was so close. I felt Medina’s 10.0 was maybe 0.20 to 0.30 points better than John’s 9.93; Medina’s 1st scoring wave was overscored but viewing his last wave again, it deserved the same 9.23 score. John’s last wave was the one really overscored to me. That was not a 9.73. The wave was small. I felt John & Medina’s last waves were basically the same therefore the high scoring waves decided the heat & Medina’s was the best. The W$L will always push Julian or John through over Medina if it is close. Its a business & they want the most marketable world champ. Unlike the two Julian facades, this heat is super close. Its a call. Both John & Medina deserved to win. Medina got a good call against Joel at Snapper in 2014, which lead to a great year. John still has work to do so a small push is always good to establish a new champ. They still must earn it like Gabriel earned 2014.
well said nick. couldn’t agree more.
GET YOUR KELLY MAGIC TRICK ON THIS GIF!!! BEACH GRIT YOU ROCK!
http://gph.is/2bD7cP9
After seven events Alex Ribeiro sits below Bruno Santos on the ratings(38th). Brutal.
where’s Zeldo? He called it! But let’s see if his Trestles call holds up.
Come on in Trogan, the waters fine. No need for anyone to jump on the Kelly bandwagon..the more naysayers the better. He thrives on that shit, like any true competitor. Boards are a valid topic, but again, as long as Kelly’s in the race no one is safe. Ross called it today when he pondered, What if there’s a solid south swell for Trestles- which there usually is- and (the still very real) Kelly shows up?? Nighty nite tailflickers. When I said I’d put $$ on Kelly this year, that was at his low point this season. He surfed out of his freakin’ head this week and pretty damn good in the past few events too. I love watching John surf and would be Stoked to see him win the title, but I’ll die with my boots on per my KS claim.
ponder all you like, but JJF, Gabs and Filipe aren’t afraid of Kelly at Trestles. Nor are Mick or Joel. Kelly will have to be magical. Not saying it can’t happen, but I don’t think it will.
All said, he’s still on my fantasy team.
Kaipo asks the hard hitting questions!
I didn’t even know the contest ran.. the app didn’t buzz, no alerts or hype from the wsl. I guess for good reason. embarrassing for chopes
What…Airport CNN doesn’t have it on repeat?
lol nope..im down your way every other week it seems. summer has been brutal
Really? It’s been hot but I’m definitely not complaining. And if you are still schlepping up in the winter you’ll see what I mean. Don’t forget to load up on pizza and bagels while you are here.
just no waves..anywhere on the east coast. Its been pork roll, egg and cheese as much as possible.
There have been a few days by us. A lot of wind swell that cleans up early the next morning. We’ve also had a few off shore afternoons from strange east to west t-storm movements.
Anyone else catch what seemed to be some tension between Ross and Strider at the desk?
Seemed like Ross was giving him the “child, you done yet?” look followed by some sort of “well, actually” statement.
Or when Kaipo pointed his pen at Strider, begging air-time, and Strider give him an “uh-uh” look and continued to yap?
I really liked Strider and Kaipo at the desk. They were loose.
Anyone remember a cameo that AI gave in the box one year? He was high as a kite. Very entertaining.
What gave away AI’s condition? And Strider…isn’t he in a wonderful form! Kaipo, not so much.
Uncontrollable laughter, rapid fire delivery, descent into beautiful bouts of stream of consciousness word salad.
Disagree on Kaipo. He’s helping Strider get looser. Good foil.
Do you remember Occy’s beautiful emotional decrudescence in the booth at the pipe masters when AI was alive? Still out from the night before it seemed, and all full of professions of love for the great man. Should be more of it.
emotional decrudescence…..?
what the hell are you on Harry?
Apologies, a bit of word salad myself, I’m reading this book by Georges Perec and it’s made me all pseudo-literary…but getting back to the point, Strider’s my favorite. He was gold calling the Puerto Comp. Should be let off the leash he seems to be straining on more often.
Ha, I remember that; the first day of the comp when it seemed he had inhaled a kilo of coke
Kaipo and him were sharing,kaipos’ eyes were bugging out at puerto while strider was also higher than charlie sheen At the playboy mansion
love kaipo. give him a minute to get warm. watch him grow into it.
i liked him.
you like someone?! holy shit!
I thought his post heat interviews were great. The surfers responded really well to him and his questions.
Jimmy Slade back on more normal equipment….is it ludicrous to suggest that if he gets back on proven performers and leaves the dud sleds back in the drawing room we might see a late season resurgence?
Did he have a quad fin set up?
No, thruster…
think he rode a quad in some heats.
Ta, interesting, probably helped him wipe off speed by allowing some controlled slippage, but at the expense of those two runners that he got clipped at the exit…Kelly, are you [or Nick Carroll] out there for an opinion? Whaddayoureckon??
My opinion is that KS had a great event. Re the board, I dunno if the fin setup was some big factor, its performance I think had more to do with the curves everywhere. Rocker, outline, all curves curves curves. Just like little Teahupoo. Lovely.
Any word on if he was giving those reverse glassed lower-rockered banana boards that webber was spruiking on swellnet a run?
I don’t think they got to Tahiti till the day before the final.
Hi Nick. Did you think John was the clear winner over Gabriel? I can’t decide. Thanks
Heats that close are never clear, it coulda gone either way, JJF was in the lead when the hooter went. You’d go insane trying to finesse out a heat like that via webcast, when the only calls that count are coming from five guys in a tower on the reef. If I were Team Hurley I would be sweating on Johnny’s injury right now though.
Looks from the pic above to have a wood stringer peaking from under the black stripe, too.
Id just like to point out that Adrian Buchan is #4 in the world now.
…well pointed out.
And got tough scoring v Kelly in Semi.
I hope his high standing doesn’t prolong his post surf career as head writer for BeachGrit.
is Ace a wordsmith?
Ace is a very improved version of Luke Stedman.
For that, I’m guessing he has an average IQ, which fits perfectly for the position.
Difference: Steds made chicks ovulate from a half a km away whereas the nickname “Ace” is a highly effective form of birth control.
Funny you should mention that but I’ve heard Ace did very well at high school, finished with a decent ATAR score or whatever it was back then
http://stabmag.com/style/th…
This was attributed to him. Or maybe I just got duped by Stab.
upvote for Ace and your avatar, just noticed it!
ace is a bloody legend much like harry dean.
Eh…Trestles, France, Portugal, Pipe…can you say Gabriel Medina title number 2…
what about all the cynical blackhearts who’ve been baying for Kelly to get the fuck off the stage?
What do they do, double down on the call and write off Teahupoo as a glorious aberration or flip flop and maintain that only Kelly can make pro surfing great.
Chas?
Did I bay for Kelly to leave? I’ve flopped back and forth so severely that I have whiplash! I am a spiteful man! Sick from spite!
nobody said he should leave. But one win in 2+ years hardly makes him a contender.
Last win? Kelly blitzed John in the Pipe final in 2014, when John pulled back on a vertical monster but Kelly made the drop on a similar wave. Kelly showed superiority again today. Kelly remains the best backhand tubestar. Another win is very possible.
…yeah, you’re right, he could win Pipe. But how many years has it been between WCT event wins for Slater? Three? Moneyball those stats and it’s a possibility that this might be his last.
Did you bitch about Adriano winning 1 foot Pipe and Medina beating Fanning at 2 foot Pipe with an air move? If Pipe is 8 to 10 feet, Kelly is a favourite to win, along with John & Medina. BtichGrit recently wrote off Florence as a title hope & now Florence is #1. BeachGrit has no idea, which is why we post here to save it from embarrassment. Kelly handed out a lesson today (while John kept falling off).
I think we’re immune to embarrassment by now. So many wrong calls! Like economists!
that was a very clever “economist” remark!
Don’t get Nick Dee wound up on economies please
And next we have Lowers, France, snooooore….then PIPE!!!