Connor O’Leary fought hard for his career on the north shore of Oahu at the Billabong Pipe Masters in Memory of Andy Irons but the result wasn't what he needed to stay on the World Tour.
O’Leary’s first round was always going to be hard with 2014 WSL champion and two-time Billabong Pipe Masters finalist Gabriel Medina winning his battle against O’Leary and wildcard Benji Brand.
His second round heat held in pumping solid waves was winnable against fellow 2017 rookie Frederico Morais, who is coached by former Cronulla pro Richard “Dog” Marsh.
O’Leary opened up with a 5.17 and put pressure on the injured Morais, who didn't get a scoring wave in a heat where wave choice was critical, to take the win.
“There’s a lot of pressure but I'm just trying to handle it and have some fun surfing Pipe,” O’Leary said.
“It's tricky with some big north ones running through the line-up.”
His round three heat against Tahitian Michel Bourez could have gone either way with Bourez taking the win with two five-point waves leaving O’Leary with the highest wave score but no back up. He finished in 13th place and won’t re-qualify for next year’s tour.
In dominating fashion Gabriel Medina won the 2018 World Title and the Billabong Pipe Masters.
Clinching the World Title in the Semis, Medina kept the ball rolling beating rival Julian Wilson in a hard-fought Final; a repeat match up from the 2014 Pipe Masters, where Wilson won the event and Medina the Title.
In a year where Brasil has won nine of eleven Championship Tour events, Medina sat atop the Jeep Leaderboard coming into the winter surf season in Hawaii, but Wilson and Filipe Toledo, knotted in a tie for second, had every intention of stopping his quest for a second World Title. But in the end, Medina’s momentum was unstoppable even when Wilson threw his best at him in the Final.
"It was a good event, it came down to the end, it came down to the last heat of the year to decide the Title, so yeah, it's disappointing, but it was a good year," said Wilson after the Final.
"It's all about God's plan. I believe in that. Every single heat I had the faith. I tried my best until the end," Medina said as champagne showered him and the victory celebration raged on.
Meanwhile at Cronulla the surf has been typical summer bummer-small nor-east wind swell and howling nor east winds-merry Christmas.
Yesterday's small swell has been blown up a notch today to 2 ft with a light Southerly blowing and the forecast shows we should get some swell while this wind blows.
There’s not much offshore wind around with Thursday morning the first we will see .Friday is the peak of the swell where we may get some head high waves if all things go according to plan before it fades away to be flat for Christmas day .
In WQS news, the Carve Pro will light up Maroubra Beach in January when it kick-starts the 2019 Australasian World Surf League Qualifying Series.
Cronulla’s closest elite four-day QS 1000 rated event, it will form the first of three stops on the Vissla NSW Pro Surf Series and will take place from January 23 to 26.
Cronulla’s Carve CEO Matt Whyte expressed his joy at seeing the Carve Pro return to the Sydney beach.
“We are stoked to be hosting the Carve Pro at Maroubra Beach again in 2019. It is the marquee event on the Carve calendar and showcases some of the best surfers from around the globe right in the heart of our city,” Whyte said.
“The support from the local community is stellar. They turn out in force to support, they get involved and truly make it feel like a world tour event. With the finals being held on Australia Day we can’t wait to see everyone down there to cheer on the best in the business.”
Surfing NSW CEO Luke Madden believes the growth of the Carve Pro is a solid reflection of the thriving relationship between all stakeholders.
“Since making the jump from a Pro Junior event to a QS1000 in 2016, the Carve Pro has continued to go from strength-to-strength thanks to the partnership between Randwick City Council, Destination NSW, Carve, WSL and Vissla. We can’t wait to see it all kick off at Maroubra in January.”
The Vissla NSW Pro Surf Series was developed for Australian and International surfers to gain ranking points and prize money on the WSL Qualifying Series. The series also creates a NSW coastal road trip for all to explore the variety of waves, visit local communities and enjoy NSW surfing culture.
