Medina shines on Day 1 at Cloudbreak, Florence & Simmers advance
Three-time world champion Gabriel Medina and Yago Dora showcased their surfing skills on day one at Cloudbreak during stop number 9 of the World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour.
Meanwhile John John Florence and Caitlin Simmers also secured the top seed spot heading into the WSL Finals in California.
Medina, aiming to improve his eighth place in the WSL rankings delivered a stellar performance with a near perfect score of 17.67 highlighted by an outstanding tube ride that earned him a 9.17.
His strong showing keeps alive his chances of securing one of the spots in the WSL Finals at Trestles beach in September.
Reflecting on his performance, Medina expressed satisfaction with how he surfed today catching wave after wave.
“Yeah, that was a fun heat. The waves are just coming on my way. So it feels good to just surf, you know,” said Medina.
“It’s a good feeling when you go through a wave, and then this one just comes like a perfect wave. So it’s good.”
Dora faced all time great Kelly Slater, an expert at Cloudbreak and a wildcard entrant who has won the Fiji event four times.
Despite this opponent, Dora excelled with a score of 16.83, including a single wave score of 9.33, outshining Slater in a surprising turn of events.
Dora shared his excitement about reaching a level where he can compete effectively at this level against someone as renowned as Kelly Slater.
“I feel like I grew into a really good surfer now, and back then, I was learning the ropes. I was really good in the air, but I had a lot to improve. Now I feel like I’m more of a complete surfer,” said Dora.
“I would never expect something like that to happen, beating Kelly at Cloudbreak, the greatest of all time, overall, but also out here, and yeah, it’s an honour.”
WSL Fiji Pro Day 1 Highlights
John John Florence’s strategic skills were exceptional, earning him a score of 15.57 and securing his spot in the Round of 16, while also securing the top seed position for Lower Trestles.
“The plan at the beginning of the year is to try to be at Lowers with the No. 1 seed,” said Florence.
“So to have it this early on and just be able to enjoy this event now and start thinking about Lowers is pretty cool.”
Meanwhile, Simmers made a comeback towards the end of her heat scoring 10.54 against Australian Sierra Kerrand (9.90) fellow American Sawyer Lindblad (5.33) to claim the top top for the Lexus WSL Finals.
“Lowers is a super fun wave and it’s kind of a ridiculous life situation to be in,” said Simmers.
“So I just try not to think about it at all. I’ll just think about my next heat, and hopefully, we get fun waves.”
Griffin Colapinto from San Clemente and current World Champion Caroline Marks solidified their positions in the Final 5 by winning their heats today.
Marks, fresh off her success, shared her enthusiasm for defending her title at Lower Trestles.
“It’s amazing. I have the chills. Wow. I’m really stoked. That was a huge goal of mine to be able to defend my title,” said Marks.
“I feel like I’m coming off a really big high after winning the Gold at the Olympics, but I still feel like there’s work to be done this year. So, two really massive goals this year. I got one done and one more to go. I’m just really honoured to have the chance again in front of my hometown.”
Despite some standout performances, there were also moments of disappointment for Jordy Smith from South Africa who couldn’t progress further and officially ruining any hope of making the Final 5.
With Cloudbreak competition on track, competitors are facing heightened pressure as they strive for victory at the pinnacle of surfing.
WSL Fiji Pro Women’s Elimination Round Matchups
Odds courtesy of BetOnline
WSL Fiji Pro Men’s Round of 16 Matchups
Odds courtesy of BetOnline
