The Billabong Pro Teahupoo will take place from August 19-30, 2016. Teahupoo is the most dangerous stop of the World Surf League. The most important surfers are competing to win the 2016’s Samsung Galaxy WSL Championship Tour.
The event takes place in the Teahupoo village in Tahiti. Teahupoo is a reef break renowned for the consistent number of barrels it delivers. Teahupoo is regarded as one of the best locations to surf even though the shallow shoreline can result in serious injuries.
This year’s World Surf League season has been defined by its unpredictability. Matt Wilkinson won back to back the first two events in the season to place himself in the first place of the leaderboard. John John Florence and Gabriel Medina have been competing for the top spots as well. Veteran Mick Fanning won the previous event to add more spice to the season.
The Billabong Pro Teahupoo Competition is divided into four parts on a knockout system. The first stage is composed of competitive heats, the next stage is the quarterfinals, followed by the semi-finals, and ultimately the final.
The final on the 2016’s Billabong Pro Teahupoo Competition featured a heat of Kelly Slater versus John John Florence. The match resembled the 2014 semi-final between the two. At the end, it was Slater who became the Champion.
Teahupoo became Slater’s first world tour victory since 2013 when he defeated John John Florence in the 2013 Pipeline Masters. The victory is Slater’s 55th on the world tour. It was also the fifth time that Slater won the event after doing so the same in 2000, 2003, 2005, and 2011.
Kelly Slater jumped 11 places in the leaderboard following the Teahupoo victory. Slater is now the 8th best surfer in the WSL standings. Since Slater started competing in 1992 the surfer has never finished outside the first ten.
As for the World Title Race, John John Florence is the new leader. Wilkinson, the former leader, was beaten early in the event. Florence only needed to reach the quarterfinals to become the new leader.
The Tour Next stop is the ‘Hurley Pro’ and the ‘Swatch Women’s Pro’ at Trestle, California. The event will take place from September 7-18, 2016. The world tour last three stop will feature events in France, Portugal, and the Pipeline Masters in Hawaii.
The Billabong Pro Teahupoo results were the following:
Round 5 Match-ups:
Heat 1: Adrian Buchan (AUS) 16.77 versus Jordy Smith (ZAF) 12.60
Heat 2: Kelly Slater (USA) 20.00 versus Keanu Asing (HAW) 14.70
Heat 3: Gabriel Medina (BRA) 15.43 versus Jadson Andre (BRA) 14.33
Heat 4: John John Florence (HAW) 18.30 versus Joel Parkinson (AUS) 15.90
The Quarterfinal Results:
QF 1: Adrian Buchan (AUS) 18.16 versus Kolohe Andino (USA) 16.00
QF 2: Kelly Slater (USA) 19.27 versus Bruno Santos (BRA) 17.43
QF 3: Gabriel Medina (BRA) 17.90 versus Josh Kerr (AUS) 13.40
QF 4: John John Florence (HAW) 17.34 versus Julian Wilson (AUS) 16.60
The Semifinal Results:
SF 1: Kelly Slater (USA) 18.40 versus Adrian Buchan (AUS) 16.10
SF 2: John John Florence (HAW) 19.66 versus Gabriel Medina (BRA) 19.23
The Final Result:
1: Kelly Slater (USA) 19.67
2: John John Florence (HAW) 15.23
The World Surf League Jeep Leaderboard after the Billabong Pro Tahiti has John Florence as the leader with 39.900 pts. Matt Wilkinson is second with 36,000 pts, Gabriel Medina is third with 35,700 points, Adrian Buchan is fourth with 26,200 pts, and Julian Wilson comes fifth with 25,200 pts. Kelly Slater is eight with 24,450 points.
Source: World Surf League