"It's 2017 and the judges are still 1970!" says Filipe Toledo
If this was cinema, the camera would pan over the surfer’s face, striped in afternoon shadow. His little paws cradle a sad face as family gather around to provide humanitarian shade.
And the viewer, recoils from the screen, made aware, again, of the perilous magic of nymphets.
Just then, Filipe Toledo and Kanoa Igarashi clattered rails on a peak in their semi-final at the US Open. Kanoa “commanded the peak” and took out Filipe on an interference.
You remember Rio a few months ago? When Filipe, who should’ve won the damn thing, lost in round three to Kanoa Igarashi on an interference? And how Filipe, who is as threatening as a baby animal in distress, boiled so much he told the judges, frankly, what he thought? And was subsequently banned fro Fiji?
Today it happened all over again.
And, as always, Instagram was instructive.
Brett Simpson: Stupid rule. The only score on that wave was the right, Change that crap already @richieporta. It’s 2017!
And from Filipe Toledo: @brettsimpson. Hahaha. The boys up there are too old for that! 2017 and they are still 1970!
Watch the wave here and head judge Rich Porta’s explanation.