Gabriel Tweaks His Knee, Mick Pulls Through And Jordy Looks Hungry

Snapper Rocks road is a runway right now. Complete with leathered tans, board caddies, an innumerable amount of photographers and coaches, and non-ironic head-to-toe branding. The perfect setting for day one of the Quiksilver Pro.

Competition started early, but there was little noteworthy action until heat four, when Gabriel Media, Wiggoly Dantas, and tour-newbie Zeke Lau faced off. While all surfed well, Medina was the standout, squeaking by with a combined score of 16.50 compared to runner-up Wiggolly Dantas’ 10.90. 

A scary moment for Medina, however, occurred when he attempted a huge backside air. Landing awkwardly, he strained his MCL. He should be able ok to surf, and it’s being taped up, but he definitely is favouring his opposing, stronger, knee when on the sand. Taking a ginger approach when walking on it.

After that, Jordy Smith, Miguel Pupo, and Nat Young faced off in heat five. Yesterday, Jordy looked especially hungry during the morning freesurf session and continues show solid confidence on the bank.

Jordy opened up with a 6.43, his highest score. From there, he squeaked by to a breezy victory, solidifying his lead with a 5.50 for a total combined score of 11.93 over Miguel’s 11.77. 

“That was a tough heat, a frustrating heat,” said Jordy after he left the water. “A little nerve-wracking, but over the past five years I’ve learned how to approach the first round. I was patient, waiting for a good one, which caused somewhat of a disadvantage at first, as I started to get too picky. But, there are a lot of waves coming through right now, so I was able to wake up and adjust.      

“Round three will be a different deal. I’ll have to judge it from what it is when that time comes. There are definitely opportunities out there, and if you snag one of those longer runners it’s an absolute bag of gold.”

The World Champ just won his first heat of 2017.

Immediately following Jordy’s performance, John John Florence, Mikey Wright, and Connor O’Leary went toe-to-toe in an absolute barn burner. With John John and Mikey particularly cooking as they exchanged back-to-back jabs, it was a baptism through fire for O’Leary, who finished behind the incumbent champ and youngest Wright, respectively.

In an absolutely stacked draw, Kelly Slater, Mick Fanning, and Jeremy Flores faced off in heat seven. Mick got his campaign started early, grabbing the first wave of the heat which he seemingly appeared to ride to Kirra. Kelly was nipping at his heels, though, notching a 5.83 and 5.37 and taking the lead in the back half of the heat. However, Mick pulled ahead at the buzzer. Using wave selection and local knowledge to his advantage to nab a 7.17 in literally the dying seconds.