Reuters
John John Florence of United States rides a wave [Source: Reuters]
John John Florence of the United States will take on Australia’s Jack Robinson in the third round of the Olympic surfing competition in Tahiti, in a heavyweight clash worthy of a final.
Waves at the venue of Teahupo’o have picked up from Sunday’s second round, where Robinson scored the highest single wave score of the day – an intense, spitting barrel that garnered a near perfect 9.87 out of 10.
But larger conditions will also suit Florence, a renowned tube rider who grew up at Hawaii’s famous Pipeline and who has been travelling the world to ride the heaviest waves since before he was a teen.
Other enticing matchups include local hero Kauli Vaast against America’s Griffin Colapinto and gold medal favourite Gabriel Medina of Brazil against Japan’s Tokyo Olympic silver medallist Kanoa Igarashi.
Women’s round three is scheduled to follow the men’s, but forecasts are for less than ideal winds to increase during the day, which might lead to a pause in competition.
Team France has a tough draw with local hero and medal favourite Vahine Fierro up against countrywoman Johanne Defay, who recovered from a nasty wipeout to advance on Sunday.
Brazil’s Tatiana Weston-Webb will take on America’s Caitlin Simmers in another exciting match-up.
Weston-Webb rode what commentators described as the best wave ever in women’s surfing competition at the Tahiti Pro in May, while 18-year-old Simmers, a winner at Pipeline this year, is at the forefront of a tectonic shift in women’s surfing in heavy water in recent years.
