Yep. You heard it right. The reigning World Champ and reigning event champ fell to young Aussie wildcard, “Young Gun” and fellow Quiksilver team rider, Julian Wilson on Sunday in Round 3 of the 2009 Quiksilver Pro, Gold Coast, presented by LG Mobile. This marks the lowest finish Slater has ever posted at the Quik Pro on the Gold Coast, and is certain to make a dent in his 2009 title campaign, both mentally and by the numbers.
The event kicked off on Sunday afternoon, following the semifinals and final of the women’s Roxy Pro, and the men’s expression session. Running through the first eight heats of Round 3, we saw some fantastic surfing, with no major upsets other than Slater’s unfortunate loss.
Winning their Round 3 heats on Sunday were Julian Wilson, who ousted Slater; Floridian, CJ Hobgood, who took out Hawaiian rookie, Dustin Barca; Brazilian, Jihad Khodr, who put on a stunning display to take down Australia’s Kieren Perrow with a heat total of 18.26 out of 20; Aussie, Chris Davidson, who left fellow Aussie, Dayyan Neve in a near combo situation; Cooly kid, Joel Parkinson, who put on a surf clinic for top Portuguese surfer, Tiago Pires; local boy and former World Champ, Mick Fanning, who comboed Hawaiian rookie, Kekoa Bacalso; top Fronchie, Jeremy Flores, who sent Aussie, Nic Muscroft home; and Floridian, Damien Hobgood who defeated Brazilian, Heitor Alves.
The contest wrapped for the day after Slater’s defeat, leaving the final 8 heats of Round 3 to be finished when the competition resumes. Tune in on Monday morning for the continuation of Round 3. Log on to the event website for photos, videos, heats on demand and all the live action.
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