Kelly Slater
11X ASP World Champion Kelly Slater, Florida, USA takes to the air to win his Round 2 heat at the Hurley Pro Trestles, advancing into Round 3 on Tuesday September 16, 2014. Slater defeated Jeremy Flores (FRA) with this front-side aerial manuever scoring an excellent 8.50 (out of ten). Photo: ASP/Rowland
Day two of the Hurley Pro at Trestles was held in tricky Lowers conditions. In overhead waves, the best surfers in the world clashed with each other in front of a packed beach, who showed their support in a sweltering heat wave. Round two uncharacteristically included the number one and two ranked surfers in the world, Gabriel Medina and Kelly Slater, respectively. Both men won their heats and moved out of the elimination rounds, with the first heat as a battle of the Brazilians, Medina vs. Monteiro. Both surfers started out shaky, which is especially unusual for the young Medina, who is normally on point in nearly every heat. Eventually, though, Medina found his form again, and landed two airs on two successive waves, building a gap that Monteiro wasn’t ever able to bridge.
The next heat saw Kelly Slater edge out Jeremy Flores, who both took different approaches in the mixed up conditions. Flores stayed busy from the horn, while Slater remained selective, picking and choosing only the best waves. It worked for the 11-time world champ, and by halfway through the heat, Flores found himself in a combination situation after Slater landed an enormous air and scored an 8.50. Flores had a few insightful things to say about his recent struggles: “I wish I had the confidence I had a few years ago,” he said. “Maybe it’s good to have a year if losing and losing and losing. Hopefully it will help me in surfing, and in life in general.”
See the complete heat breakdowns on ASP.com, and watch the Hurley Pro Trestles live here.
Points Ratings:
1. Gabriel Medina-46,150
2. Kelly Slater-38,350
3. Joel Parkinson-36,150
4. Michel Bourez-34, 500