Did Yago Dora Just Take Out The World Champ?

The 2017 Oi Rio Pro at Saquarema has been full of one thing: grown adult men wearing risque bathing garments. But, if it has been full of three things, it’s grown men in risque bathing garments, backwash and surprises. All of which were plenty today.

It started with Yago Dora axing John John Florence by the dawn’s early light. Yago put together a great heat and landed an air, which was difficult today with the offshore wind — ain’t no amount of FU wax that can save you from that shit. Grabs help. Backwash doesn’t. I hit the wise and handsome Trevor Moran, who is currently in Saquarema with a lens, to explain that.

“There’s a very defined and unbroken sandbar with a deep gully and a steep beach, so it just sends backwash straight from the beach back into the wave. Super tides this week contribute to the issue. Seems to me with how wide the sandbar is, there’s either going to be backwash or rips. Unlike France which has those triangle shaped sandbars and water can drain back out.”

The more you know. Speaking of which, Jordy, Ace, Wilko and Kanoa all won. Nothing too extraordinary happened in the process, besides an interference on Filipe early in his heat with Kanoa. Filipe was trying to go right, Kanoa was trying to go left, judges deemed Filipe wrong to go right.

Julian Wilson and Freddy Morais gave us the best heat of the day. A lot of waves ridden, a few lead changes, and more safety surfing than you could shake a Richie Porta at. It made me really miss Italo — doesn’t seem like he’s figured out the whole surf down to win formula yet, which makes him wildly fun to watch.

Owen Wright put up the highest heat total of the day against Nat Young. The surfing, to most, was sharp and practical but to the commentators, it was bing bang searing hallelujah spaceship volcanos. With John on a flight home, both Owen and Jordy could wrangle the yellow jersey off his back with a third or better at Rio. Stay attentive.

For authentic viewing, the WSL recommends you play this song twice a heat. Shawn James And The Shape Shifters with the hottest sounds out of Fayetteville, Arkansas. AKA the song of the summer.

Round three results:
Heat six: Yago Dora 15.50 def John John Florence 10.16 def Shark Bite Sofia 2.37
Heat seven: Jordy Smith 14.90 def Jadson Andre 14.27
Heat eight: Ace Buchan 13.16 def Caio Ibelli 11.04
Heat nine: Matt Wilkinson 13.00 def Josh Kerr 12.73
Heat ten: Kanoa Igarashi 11.73 def Filipe Toledo 8.57 [Interference]
Heat eleven: Julian Wilson 16.23 def Frederico Morais 16.13
Heat twelve: Owen Wright 17.00 def Nat Young 15.86 def Slater’s Back Injury 5.33

Round four matchups:
Heat one: A. de Souza, W. Dantas, G. Medina
Heat two: J. Parkinson, M. Fanning, Y. Dora
Heat three: J. Smith, A. Buchan, M. Wilkinson
Heat four: J. Wilson, K. Igarashi, O. Wright