Sports
Deja Vu: Brazilian Wins Nike Lowers Pro
Gabriel Medina, 18, dominates the competition with powerful surfing and aerial maneuvers. Last year, Brazil's Miguel Pupo snagged the crown.
An 18-year-old Brazilian who dazzled spectators with aerial maneuvers won the Nike Lowers Pro surfing contest Saturday at San Onofre State Park's Lower Trestles.
It was the second year in a row a Brazilian took the crown. In 2011, won the Association of Surfing Professionals contest.
This year, Gabriel Medina put on quite a show throughout the competition’s five-day run, scoring several perfect-10 rides in the 2- to 4-foot glassy surf.
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The victory earned him $40,000, a 14-karat golden railroad spike as well as coveted point ratings for the Association of Surfing Professionals.
“Everyone was surfing really well,” said Medina. “Dane [Reynolds] was my inspiration and Glenn [Hall] surfed really well today.”
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The final round pitted Medina against Irish pro surfer Glenn Hall with a focus on power and aerial surfing. Unfortunately, wave lulls made catching a wave difficult. However, when Medina got one, he did not hesitate to boost an aerial maneuver (or two), along with a series of powerful carving turns to lock in a total heat score of 15.67 points to Hall’s 10.87.
“It’s Lowers; it can turn on or off at any time in the day,” Hall told ASP. “You kind of have to be onto it, and luck has to go your way as well. I had a few lucky heats earlier in the event and that heat was funny with Gabriel.”
Local standouts Pat and Tanner Gudauskas made their way to the quarterfinals Saturday morning with aerial maneuvers and powerful turns. However, they were not able to overtake Australian Adrian Buchan and Hawaiian John John Florence.
Florence, 18, who finished third overall, proved to be a significant threat in the semifinals against Hall. Florence scored a 9-point ride after launching a 360 air-rotation in the semifinals, but Hall outscored the young pro with powerful carves on left and right walls.
“I’m stoked to have made the semis, but it would have been nice to have made the final,” Florence told ASP. “I was having fun and the waves have been fun all week, so I’m stoked.”
For full five-day coverage of the Nike Lowers Pro event, visit:
