The 2013 Rip Curl Pro, Portugal (part three)

How about 20 heats in Portugal today? A heck-ton, any way you slice it. Most importantly, Mick Fanning, Jordy Smith, Joel Parkinson and Taj Burrow, who all have differing levels of chance at a world title, are all still in play. And perhaps even a little more importantly than that, Julian Wilson polished the event’s best move, a 10-point alley oop that challenges John John Florence’s Keramas effort for biggest ever done in a jersey. Miguel Pupo also stomped a very impressive backside rotation, which is a must-see in Heats On Demand. Here’s some bites…

Julian: “I felt like I bit off a bit more than I could chew when I was in the air on that one, but somehow I pulled it, that section was really really good. At that point of the heat I was really quite nervous, I only had one opportunity to do an air, and I was lucky enough to capitalise on it. That’s the thing I love about competition, you put yourself in those situations where you don’t even for a second think about not making it. In a freesurf I probably would have pulled the eject button like halfway through that air, that was for sure the biggest alley-oop I’ve ever done.”

Mick: “I guess with anyone you want to put them under pressure early and make them try that little bit harder. I was just lucky, he went for the lefts, I was concentrating on the rights and I got two scores and then I was just trying to better some scores and see what else was out there.”

Joel: “It was a scratchy heat, battling for fives and sixes and it’s been a lot of heats like that in the last couple of events. It’s a super long shot for me in the World Title race, you don’t want to pray for Mick to lose, and I’d have to have two wins or something, I just really hope it goes down to Pipe for me.”

Miguel: “Yesterday I tried a lot of airs and didn’t make any because I broke my ankle doing that manoeuvre and I’ve had trouble doing them since. I knew that wave was a closeout so I guess I’m lucky I pulled it off in the heat. Brett and I are in a tough situation on the rankings, we both knew we really needed to make that heat, that’s probably why it had such high scores.”

UPCOMING RIP CURL PRO PORTUGAL ROUND 4 MATCH-UPS:
Heat 1: Joel Parkinson (AUS), Kai Otton (AUS), Julian Wilson (AUS)
Heat 2: Matt Wilkinson (AUS), John John Florence (HAW), Mick Fanning (AUS)
Heat 3: Jordy Smith (ZAF), Nat Young (USA), Josh Kerr (AUS)
Heat 4: Miguel Pupo (BRA), C.J Hobgood (USA), Taj Burrow (AUS)

RIP CURL PRO PORTUGAL ROUND 3 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 11.84 def. Alejo Muniz (BRA) 11.77
Heat 2: Kai Otton (AUS) 12.57 def. Bede Durbidge (AUS) 10.77
Heat 3: Julian Wilson (AUS) 17.00 def. Damien Hobgood (USA) 12.16
Heat 4: Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 14.20 def. Adriano De Souza (BRA) 13.73
Heat 5: John John Florence (HAW) 16.97 def. Filipe Toledo (BRA) 8.83
Heat 6: Mick Fanning (AUS) 14.00 def. Jacob Willcox (AUS) 11.53
Heat 7: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 14.33 def. Frederico Morais (PRT) 12.60
Heat 8: Nat Young (USA) 15.10 def. Sebastien Zietz (HAW) 6.03
Heat 9: Josh Kerr (AUS) 10.67 def. Adam Melling (AUS) 8.83
Heat 10: Miguel Pupo (BRA) 15.40 def. Michel Bourez (PYF) 8.67
Heat 11: C.J Hobgood (USA) 13.50 def. Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) 12.30
Heat 12: Taj Burrow (AUS) 14.33 def. Kieren Perrow (AUS) 8.67

RIP CURL PRO PORTUGAL ROUND 2 RESULTS:

Heat 5: C.J Hobgood (USA) 10.34 def. Yadin Nicol (AUS) 8.00
Heat 6: Kieren Perrow (AUS) 8.03 def. Adrian Buchan (AUS) 6.33

Heat 7: Alejo Muniz (BRA) 14.66 def. Gabriel Medina (BRA) 8.10
Heat 8: Damien Hobgood (USA) 13.10 def. Jeremy Flores (FRA) 11.13
Heat 9: Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) 12.83 def. Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 8.33
Heat 10: Miguel Pupo (BRA) 16.26 def. Brett Simpson (USA) 14.27
Heat 11: Adam Melling (AUS) 13.84 def. Travis Logie (ZAF) 10.37
Heat 12: Bede Durbidge (AUS) 17.60 def. Kolohe Andino (USA) 13.93