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.  

Fiji Pro 2014 | June 1 - June 13 | Kelly Slater Seeks Third Straight Win at Fiji

The 2014 Fiji Pro runs this June 1 through June 13 at Tavarua, Fiji, with the site of the competition varying between Cloudbreak and Restaurants depending on the swell conditions.  The Fiji Pro is the 5th stop on the WCT Tour for 2014.  

Entering the Fiji Pro, Kelly Slater sits atop the WCT standings, followed by Taj Burrow, Joel Parkinson, Michel Bourez, and Gabriel Medina.  Last year's champ, Mick Fanning, has struggled in the early part of the season, and is in 8th place after an early elimination at the last event, the Billabong Rio Pro.

Kelly Slater Repeats as Volcom Fiji Pro Champ, Wins with Dominating Performance

By Andrew Sachs
Kelly Slater dominated the final rounds at the Volcom Fiji Pro en route to his second consecutive title in Fiji, once again proving why he is the world's best competitive surfer ever, and why Cloudbreak is one of his favorite waves.  His quarterfinal-semifinal-final scores were almost too high to believe unless you've seen the waves: 20.00, 18.17 and 19.80.  2 perfect 10's in the quarterfinals!  Nearly repeating 2 perfect 10's in the finals.  And let's not forget Kelly had a 19.30 in round 4.  Slater freakin' dominated!

photo: Andrew Christie

Volcom Fiji Pro 2013 Quarterfinals Set: Mick v. Parko, John John v. Jordy...

By Andrew Sachs
After 4 days of waiting, the swell was back yesterday at Cloudbreak and the waves were rolling in heavy as ever.  The competition moved ahead and finished rounds 3-5.  Kelly Slater put on another show at one of his favorite waves and scored a 19.30 in round 4 - with a perfect 10 wave and another 9.30 to advance into the quarterfinals.

Volcom Fiji Pro Early Heats: Slater's Late Arrival, Restaurants Firing, and John John's Perfect 10

By Andrew Sachs
The early rounds of the Volcom Fiji Pro have provided great waves and great surfing that we have come to expect from Tavarua.  The first two days of the competition were lay days, but those days were followed by 3 days of competition days.  The day 1 action took place 2 miles out to sea, at Cloudbreak, but the competition switched to Restaurants on day 3 when the swell jumped there, providing for ideal wave riding conditions.

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.