Standings for ASP's WCT Surf Tour Through 6 Events | Medina, Parkinson, Fanning

The race for the WCT championship is heating up as the Tour heads into the second half of its schedule. Through 6 events, only 3 surfers have won a competition, and those 3 have each won 2 comps: Mick Fanning, Gabriel Medina, and Michel Bourez.  

1. Quik Pro Gold Coast - Medina

2. Margaret River Pro - Bourez

3. Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach - Fanning

4. Billabong Rio Pro - Bourez

5. Fiji Pro - Medina

6. J-Bay Open - Fanning

Not surprisingly, Fanning, Medina and Bourez all sit in the Top 5 of the standings:

1. Gabriel Medina - 36,150

2. Joel Parkinson - 34,400

3. Mick Fanning - 32,650

4. Taj Burrow - 31,950

5. Michel Bourez - 30,500

6. Kelly Slater - 30,350

7. Adriano de Souza - 30,100

8. Nat Young - 25,900

9. Kolohe Andino - 22,500

10. Josh Kerr - 22,250

The title race will be won and lost in the final 5 events:

Billabong Pro Tahiti - Aug 15-26

Hurley Pro Trestles - Sept 9-20

Quiksilver Pro France - Sept 25-Oct 6

Rip Curl Pro Portugal - Oct 12-23

Billabong Pipe Masters - Dec 8-20



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J Bay Open Round 3 Results | Matt Wilkinson Knocks Off Kelly Slater

The swell has filled in on day 5 of the J Bay Open 2014 waiting period, and round Round 3 is on after an exciting first few days of Rounds 1 and 2.  No real surprises after Rounds 1 and 2 - all the big names were still alive: Kelly Slater, Mick Fanning, and Joel Parkinson and the Brazilians like Gabriel Medina and Adriano De Souza.  

Surfing's J Bay Open July 10-21 | Gabriel Medina and Michel Bourez Top Rankings

The J Bay Open, surfing's 6th stop on its WCT, begins this Thursday, July 10 in South Africa.  It will be interesting to see what J Bay's iconic point break has in store for this year's edition of the event, featuring some surprises at the top of the rankings.

Gabriel Medina and Michel Bourez, each with 2 victories in the first 5 events, sit 1 and 2 atop the leaderboard heading to J Bay.  There's hardly been a time in the past years when Kelly Slater, Mick Fanning or Joel Parkinson hasn't led the tour, and this year may be a changing of the guard.  Kelly sits near the top in third, but hasn't won any events yet.  Neither has Parko, who's in 5th, and although Mick has a win, he sits back in 8th place. 

Check out all the action live streaming at the J Bay site.   



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Gabriel Medina Wins Volcom Fiji Pro, Jumps to #1 in WCT Rankings

Brazilian Gabriel Medina handled Nat Young in the finals of the 2014 Volcom Fiji Pro held at Cloudbreak in beautiful, barreling 3-4 foot waves.  With the win, his second of the season following his win at the first event of the year, the Quik Pro Gold Coast, Medina leapfrogged from 4th place to 1st place overall in the WCT standings.  

ASP World Tour 2013 Season Recap: Mick Fanning vs. Kelly Slater

By Andrew Sachs
2013 ASP World Tour Season Recap: the 2013 season of the ASP surfing world tour will go down in history as a season as dramatic and exciting as any other, with an epic, year-long, back and forth battle between Kelly Slater and Mick Fanning that was only settled by Mick's last-minute heroics in his Round 5 and Quarterfinal heats at the last event of the season, Pipeline, that clinched him the title.  Kelly's 3 event wins in pumping conditions (Bell's, Cloudbreak, Pipe) topped Mick's 1 contest win (poor conditions, France), but Mick was Mr. Consistency, reaching the quarterfinals or better in 9 of 10 events.  The question is: should the most consistent surfer earn the world title or the one who wins the most in the best conditions?

Kelly Slater Wins Pipe Masters 2013 | Mick Fanning Claims the ASP World Title

By Andrew Sachs
Mick Fanning claimed his 3rd ASP World Title yesterday at the Pipe Masters in pumping 10-12 foot Pipeline on a day that will go down in surf history because of the near-perfect conditions and also because of Mick's remarkable last minute heroics in both Round 5 and the Quarterfinals, turning 2 near-certain heat losses into wins, and keeping Kelly Slater from his 12th title.

Mick Fanning - 2013 world champ

Pipe Masters 2013 | Kelly Slater Looks To Top Mick Fanning for World Title

By Andrew Sachs
After a nearly 2 month hiatus, the WCT is back on and the Pipe Masters, the final event of the season, is going off to determine who will be the 2013 world champ.  It's shaped out to be a battle between Mick Fanning and Kelly Slater, but the odds are stacked up against Kelly.  Anything less than a win by Kelly, and Mick claims his third crown (along with '09 and '07).  And, even if Kelly wins, if Mick reaches the semifinals, he's still the champ.  Like I said, tough odds, but if anyone is up to the challenge to pull victory from defeat, it's Kelly.

Mick Fanning Claims the Quik Pro France Title, Widens His Lead Over Slater at #1

By Andrew Sachs
Mick Fanning defeated Gabriel Medina to claim the Quik Pro France title, finally breaking through for his first win of the season.  Combined with Kelly Slater's ouster in the quarterfinals, Mick's win opened up a 5,000 point cushion over Slater at the top of the standings in the race for the 2013 world title.  It's important to note that the world champ is crowned based on his best 8 out of 10 events, so the current standings are not the true point totals that will be used to calculate the champ.  That said, Mick has no worse than a 9th place finish this season, meaning even if he bombed the last two events, he still would have a strong shot at ending up on top.  Slater and the rest of the field have their work cut out in the last two events in Portugal and Hawaii.

Taj Burrow Knocks Off Julian Wilson to Claim the 2013 Hurley Pro

By Andrew Sachs
Aussie ripper Taj Burrow conquered an upset-filled field to win the 2013 Hurley Pro, defeating fellow mate Julian Wilson in the finals to claim the victory.  The Hurley Pro proved to be the most unpredictable event of the season so far, with neither of Kelly Slater or Mick Fanning qualifying for the quarterfinals for the first time in 2013.  Taj and Jordy Smith (semis) used their strong finishes to move up 1 place each in the overall rankings to 3 and 4, respectively, gaining some ground on Mick and Kelly at 1 and 2.

Hurley Pro: Kelly Slater Gunning for 4th Straight Win at Lower Trestles

By Andrew Sachs
The WCT makes its only stop in the U.S. at Lower Trestles, San Onofre State Beach, California, for the Hurley Pro beginning next Sunday, September 15th, with the waiting period extending to the 21st.  A familiar storyline has played out through the first 6 events of the season, with Kelly Slater and Mick Fanning breaking away from the rest of the world's best surfers.  Kelly, fresh off his finals appearance in Tahiti, is looking to claim his third win of the season and his fourth straight victory at the Hurley Pro Event.  Mick is actually still looking for his first win of the season, but his consistency has kept him neck-and-neck with Kelly, by making at least the quarterfinals of all 6 events this season.  Something's got to give, right?

Ace Buchan Conquers Teahupo'o and the Billabong Pro Tahiti

By Andrew Sachs
Mick Fanning and Kelly Slater came into the Billabong Pro Tahiti sitting 1-2 in the standings, with each surfer looking to separate himself from the pack to kick off the second half of the season.  And while each of the former world champs surfed well, each fell victim to a red-hot Ace Buchan in succession in the semis and finals, as Ace picked up his second WCT win ever, and first since 2008.

Billabong Pro Tahiti: Teahupoo Preview, August 15-26

By Andrew Sachs
The Billabong Pro Tahiti leads off the second half of the WCT season, with 5 of 10 events already completed, and familiar faces at the top of the standings.  Mick Fanning, Kelly Slater, Joel Parkinson - ever heard of 'em?  Of course, these guys have combined to win the last 8 world titles.  Parko's win at the last event, in Bali, jumped him up to third in his quest for a repeat title, but he's still got work to do to catch Mick and Kelly, who are neck and neck at 1 and 2.  Although Kelly has won 2 events and Mick's won none, Mick has been Mr. Consistent, making the quarterfinals in every event.

Joel Parkinson Surfs to the Oakley Pro Bali Title

By Andrew Sachs
Joel Parkinson staged a late comeback in the Oakley Pro Bali final to knock off Michel Bourez and grab the title.  The win bumps Parko up from seventh to third place overall in the tour standings, sitting behind only Slater and Mick at 1 and 2.  Over the course of 10 days, Bali and Keramas played host to some amazing technical waves, providing opportunities for barrels, big hacks and airs.  But it seemed that the Oakley Pro flew under the radar a bit compared to the year's first 4 events due to the combination of the (1) comp being scheduled so shortly after the hugely successful and popular Volcom Fiji Pro, (2) that it was the first contest held in Bali since 2008, and (3) that some of the hottest names this season - Kelly, John John and Jordy - all got bounced before the quarterfinals.

Photo credit: Curley

Oakley Pro Bali Schedule and Preview | June 18-29 in Keramas, Indonesia

By Andrew Sachs
The WCT moves west to another tropical island, Bali, for the Oakley Pro Bali from June 18th to 29th, fresh off of Kelly Slater's dominating win at the Fiji Pro.  After the first 4 events of the season, Kelly has won twice and sits atop the world tour rankings.  But before we crown Kelly with his 12th championship, let's not forget about some guys lurking right behind him.  Mick Fanning is in second place and has actually been more consistent than Kelly this season, reaching the quarterfinals of every event - Kelly can't say that.  Also, in the last three competitions, Jordy Smith has reach the semis, finals (won it) and quarters, so he's surfing hot right now.  We'll see if their consistency holds up in Bali.

Volcom Fiji Pro 2013 | Schedule and Preview

By Andrew Sachs
The waiting period for the Volcom Fiji Pro, the WCT's 4th event of the season, begins June 2 and runs through June 14th.  The biggest story line from the first three events of the season is the performance of Adriano De Souza and Jordy Smith.  Both Adriano and Jordy have won one event apiece and have faced off against each other in the finals and semifinals of the last two competitions, with each surfer winning once.  Those two are currently first and second in the overall rankings, ahead of former champions Kelly Slater, Mick Fanning and Joel Parkinson.

Jordy Smith Wins Billabong Rio Pro Final Over Adriano de Souza

By Andrew Sachs
Jordy Smith claimed the Billabong Rio Pro title after a tough finals matchup against local Brazilian favorite Adriano de Souza in 2-3 foot surf at Barra de Tijuca.  Jordy's win was payback against Adriano, who beat Jordy in the semifinals of the last competition at Bell's Beach by just .04 points.  The win is Jordy's first ever WCT win on foreign soil after wins at the J-Bay event in his home of South Africa in 2010 and 2011.

Billabong Rio Pro Back On Today After a 5 Day Lay Period

The Billabong Rio Pro is back on again today at Barra da Tijuca!  After a 5 day lay period with no waves...it's now a bit gnarly out there - rainy and stormy - but the waves have size and there are some punchy sections.  As you can see, Josh Kerr launched a big air off one of those sections.

Billabong Rio Pro 2013 | Schedule and Preview

By Andrew Sachs
The waiting period for the the Billabong Rio Pro, the WCT's 3rd event of the season, begins May 8th and runs until May 19th in what is looking like a pivotal early season matchup down in South America.  Some early story lines are already building in what could be setting up as another Slater-Parko-Mick fight for the title.  Of course, Taj Burrow, Adriano de Souza and some young guns have something to say about that.

Adriana De Souza and Carissa Moore Ring the Bell at the Rip Curl Pro Bell's Beach 2013

Adriana De Souza took down Nat Young in the final of a competition filled with some big upsets to ring the bell at the Rip Curl Pro Bell's Beach, the second event of the WCT season and also the second of the two competitions down under.  Notably absent from the final were the most recent champs: Kelly Slater fell to Willian Cardoso in the 3rd round; Joel Parkinson lost to Raoni Monteiro in that same round; and De Souza took down Mick Fanning in the quarters on his way to the victory.

Slater Out Surfs Parko to Win Quik Pro Gold Coast

By Andrew Sachs
Kelly Slater started the 2013 WCT season off with a bang by winning the Quik Pro Gold Coast down under and beating defending champion Joel Parkinson in the finals.  Although there's a long season ahead, the opening event victory put the rest of the tour on notice that Kelly is showing no signs of slowing down and is in prime shape to fight for title 12!