Jordy Smith carved his way into the quarterfinals of the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast presented by Land Rover at Snapper Rocks in Australia this morning, winning an exciting Round 4 tussle with former two-time event champion Joel Parkinson (AUS) and Miguel Pupo (BRA) to move directly into the quarterfinals of the opening event on the 2012 ASP World Tour.
Smith, 24, looking leaner and stronger than during his injury-plagued 2011 season, utilised his full arsenal of aerial manoeuvres and power carves to squeak past Parkinson by a mere 0.14 of a point with their respective heat tallies being 15.44 points to 15.30 (both out of 20).
"I wanted to beat Joel (Parkinson) bad," Smith said. "He has beaten me pretty much my whole life, so I've got a lot to get him back for. He's also one of my favourite surfers so it's tough to come up against him. Miguel (Pupo) is another tough one because he's got all the tricks in the book. Choosing the right waves is pretty key out there."
In his post-heat interview Smith admitted to now following a more balanced diet, cutting out junk food like cheese-burgers, and also referred to a paddle-battle during the heat where he beat Parkinson to the strategically important inside position in the line-up.
Their rivalry will be renewed when they meet again in the quarterfinals after Parkinson, a Snapper Rocks local and runner-up on last year's ASP World Tour, posted the event's first perfect 10-point-ride in 2012 in his Round 5 match-up against Julian Wilson (AUS), 23. Parkinson's intimate knowledge of the break saw him catch the best waves and eliminate the 2011 ASP Rookie of the Year.
"I got stung by a blue-bottle and that fired me up!" Parkinson said. "There's still some good waves out there and I thought we were going to have an air-off. Julian (Wilson) did some, and I tried a few, then that one wave came through and it had some good air sections, but they were better turn sections.
"I've got some rivalries going today - I surfed against Jordy (Smith) and we have a good one going, now Julian and I are building one too. That's what makes healthy competition. You're happy to get involved in a real rivalry."
Smith, who finished second to Pupo by a scant 0.04 of a point in the Round 1 of the event on Saturday, put veteran power surfer, Taylor Knox (USA), 40, to the sword in Round 2 o Sunday before overcoming Raoni Monteiro (BRA) in Round 3 yesterday.
Fellow South African Travis Logie, who has a pair of last-16 finishes in the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast on his resume, started this year's event with a sub-standard performance but the 31 year-old Durbanite bounced back to defeat No. 9 seed Alejo Muniz (BRA) in Round 2 before bowing out to third seed Taj Burrow (AUS) in Round 3, finishing equal 13th overall and pocketing US $8 500 and 1 750 rankings points.
Adriano de Souza (BRA), Kelly Slater (USA), 40, reigning 11 x ASP World Champion and last year's Quiksilver Pro winner, and Burrow were the other three Round 4 heat winners who progressed directly to the quarterfinals. Their respective opponents will be Australians Owen Wright, Josh Kerr and Adrian Buchan who all won their Round 5 clashes.
The Roxy Pro Gold Coast presented by Land Rover, the first of seven events on the 2012 ASP Women's World Tour, was narrowed down to an all-Australian last four when the quarterfinals were run in the tricky one metre waves on offer today.
Tyler Wright, 17, sister of Owen and the runner-up at the 2011 Roxy Pro, caused the upset of the event to date by eliminating reigning ASP Women's World Champion and defending event winner Carissa Moore (HAW), 19, in a re-match of last year's final.
The semifinals see Wright take on Laura Enever, who beat Silvana Lima (BRA), while Sally Fitzgibbons comes up against four-time ASP Women's World Champion Stephanie Gilmour after the pair overcame Malia Manuel (HAW) and Courtney Conlogue (USA) in their respective quarterfinal bouts.
The Quiksilver Pro and Roxy Pro Gold Coast events have a waiting period from February 25 through March 7 and all the action is webcast LIVE via http://quiksilverlive.com/progoldcoast/2012
For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com
UPCOMING QUIKSILVER PRO GOLD COAST QUARTERFINAL MATCH-UPS:
HEAT 1: Adriano De Souza (BRA) vs. Owen Wright (AUS)
HEAT 2: Kelly Slater (USA) vs. Josh Kerr (AUS)
HEAT 3: Jordy Smith (ZAF) vs. Joel Parkinson (AUS)
HEAT 4: Taj Burrow (AUS) vs. Adrian Buchan (AUS)
QUIKSILVER PRO GOLD COAST ROUND 5 RESULTS:
HEAT 1: Owen Wright (AUS) 16.20 def. Michel Bourez (PYF) 15.43
HEAT 2: Josh Kerr (AUS) 14.44 def. Heitor Alves (BRA) 9.84
HEAT 3: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 18.00 def. Julian Wilson (AUS) 10.06
HEAT 4: Adrian Buchan (AUS) 14.03 def. Miguel Pupo (BRA) 13.27
QUIKSILVER PRO GOLD COAST ROUND 4 RESULTS:
HEAT 1: Adriano De Souza (BRA) 15.37, Owen Wright (AUS) 15.134, Josh Kerr (AUS) 9.00
HEAT 2: Kelly Slater (USA) 14.00, Michel Bourez (PYF) 12.13, Heitor Alves (BRA) 11.10
HEAT 3: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 15.44, Joel Parkinson (AUS) 15.30, Miguel Pupo (BRA) 11.04
HEAT 4: Taj Burrow (AUS) 17.34, Adrian Buchan (AUS) 12.33, Julian Wilson (AUS) 9.33
UPCOMING ROXY PRO GOLD COAST SEMIFINAL MATCH-UPS:
SF 1: Tyler Wright (AUS) vs. Laura Enever (AUS)
SF 2: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) vs. Stephanie Gilmore (AUS)
ROXY PRO GOLD COAST QUARTERFINAL RESULTS:
QF 1: Tyler Wright (AUS) 18.03 def. Carissa Moore (HAW) 13.47
QF 2: Laura Enever (AUS) 13.57 def. Silvana Lima (BRA) 12.23
QF 3: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 17.00 def. Malia Manuel (HAW) 12.00
QF 4: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) def. Courtney Conlogue (USA)
ROXY PRO GOLD COAST ROUND 4 RESULTS:
HEAT 1: Carissa Moore (HAW) 17.13 def. Sarah Mason (NZL) 10.80
HEAT 2: Silvana Lima (BRA) 14.73 def. Paige Hareb (NZL) 10.50
HEAT 3: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 18.13 def. Lakey Peterson (USA) 16.50
HEAT 4: Courtney Conlogue (USA) 15.03 def. Sofia Mulanovich (PER) 12.23
