Gabriel Medina Wins ASP PRIME Nike Lowers Pro
LOWER TRESTLES, San Clemente, California (Saturday, May 5, 2012) – Gabriel Medina (BRA), 18, has taken out the ASP PRIME Nike Lowers Pro, defeating veteran campaigner Glenn Hall (IRL), 30, in two-to-four foot waves at Lower Trestles.
Medina got the best of an opening exchange against Hall and held the lead throughout the heat’s entirety, marking him as the second consecutive Brazilian to win the Nike Lowers Pro following Miguel Pupo’s (BRA), 20, win in 2011.
“This is a very special win and it has been a long week,” Medina said. “I’m going to Brazil now with more confidence and this has been great.”
Medina’s run at the Nike Lowers Pro was one of complete dominance, as the young Brazilian earned several of the event’s top scores including the only flawless 10-point ride while taking the event’s highest heat-total of 19.80 out of 20 in his Semifinals victory over Adrian Buchan (AUS), 29.
“I love Trestles so much,” Medina said. “It’s just such a good wave and it’s one of my favorites, I just don’t even have words to explain how I’m feeling right now. I’m stoked.”
Glenn Hall proved to be the dark-horse of the event, consistently putting on solid performances on both his forehand and backhand to top ASP World Championship Tour surfers Jeremy Flores (FRA), 24, and John John Florence (HAW), 19, en route to the final, but was unable to surpass Medina, finishing runner-up overall.
“It’s Lowers, it can turn on or off at any time in the day,” Hall said. “You kind of have to be on to it and luck has to go your way as well,” Hall said. “I had a few lucky heats earlier in the event and that heat was funny with Gabriel. I thought we were going to have an interference in the beginning and they didn’t call it, but it’s all good though. He surfed well and he won.”
Hall, who has been knocking on the door for elite ASP World Championship Tour qualification for several years, is hoping his result at the Nike Lowers Pro kick-starts his qualification campaign for 2013.
“This is a great result for sure,” Hall said. “The way the system is now, if you don’t get results in PRIME events, you don’t qualify, so I’m relieved with this result and am in a good position to try and qualify now. I’m going to do all of the PRIMES and see how we go.”
John John Florence was dangerous at this year’s Nike Lowers Pro, constantly dismantling the Lowers right-handers with stylish carves and massive aerials. Florence launched a full-rotation 360 air in his Semifinal against Glenn Hall for a 9-point score, but was unable to find a second backup score and finished equal 3rd overall.
“I kept having these slow heats and I tried to get a quick start and I just couldn’t put it together,” Florence said. “I had the one big air and got a good score and only needed a small score, I got it and then Micro got a score at the end.”
Florence’s equal 3rd place finish marked the end to an amazing win-streak for the young Hawaiian, who had consecutively won the ASP PRIME at Sunset Beach, the ASP 5-Star at Pipeline and the ASP PRIME at Margaret River, and his equal 3rd place result at the Nike Lowers Pro continues to secure his position among the top competitors on the ASP World Ranking.
“I’m stoked to have made the Semis, but it would have been nice to have made the Final,” Florence said. “I was having fun and the waves have been fun all week so I’m stoked.”
Adrian Buchan consistently put on polished performances at this year’s Nike Lowers Pro, but fell short of a Final berth when Gabriel Medina surfed a near-perfect 19.80 heat in their Semifinal clash and finished with an equal 3rd place result.
“Gabe surfed an amazing heat and obviously got the jump on me from the start,” Buchan said. “I didn’t feel like I ever really hit top gear. I feel like I surfed well in some of my other heats and didn’t catch the best waves, but I guess that’s something I can take away from this event and to still walk away with a 3rd, I’m happy. That heat was disappointing, but you can’t let Gabe have any of those lefts.”
For highlights of the ASP PRIME Nike Lowers Pro log on to www.nikelowerspro.com
Nike Lowers Pro Final Results:
1 – Gabriel Medina (BRA) 15.67
2 – Glenn Hall (IRL) 10.87
Nike Lowers Pro Semifinals Results:
SF 1: Glenn Hall (IRL) 12.60 def. John John Florence (BRA) 12.17
SF 2: Gabriel Medina (BRA) 19.80 def. Adrian Buchan (AUS) 8.43
Nike Lowers Pro Quarterfinals Results:
QF 1: Glenn Hall (IRL) 13.30 def. Jeremy Flores (FRA) 12.67
QF 2: John John Florence (HAW) 13.20 def. Tanner Gudauskas (USA) 13.00
QF 3: Gabriel Medina (BRA) 18.20 def. Dane Reynolds (USA) 11.03
QF 4: Adrian Buchan (AUS) 13.83 def. Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 13.53
Comments
Category: All ASP News, ASP Prime News
It’s so funny to see all the crying of losers. Face the reality guys. We brazilians are here to stay and no matter what we’ll be reaching the top. It’s just a matter of time.
there are a bazillion brazillions. so much nationalism yet you wont stay home. hawaiians stay in hawaii, aussies in australia, californians in cali. figure it out. gabby girl looked like a real man sobbing with a second, following in adriano de louzas footsteps.
hang on, its only his 2 nd season on tour, quit the yada yada!!!!
to mik, if you have to be a complete surfer to beat medina, what happens when they both surf bells? medina has to master not going to the air (which is his only strong point)!
Medina finished in 5th place in his first pipe masters comp last year. The kid is one of the best copetitors out there and he definitely knows how to win. No ordinary surfer.
Go Medina Go
I can see a future dominance in couple of years, Gabe and John John for sure, Kolohe probably, Julian possible.
For sure new incomers can change this, but today they are reality.
I am so over Gabriel Medina airs, that air in the semi finals was horrible, the landing was so bad. The turns inside were sik but the air is bad and the air reverse at the end shouldn’t even count as every guy in the CT can do that easily. The wave was still a 9 point ride but not a 10. Lower Trestles is a wave that should not just be about airs, it should be able critical moves and when the guys just lay it all on the line.
John John and Dane’s airs were so much better as they travelled across the wave and the landing was perfect.
If ASP continues to score bad executed landings, all we will have is just an air show in competitions.
The air that Kelly did at Bells was unbelievable. That was a 10 easily.
I’d like to see Gabriel Medina do an air like slater.
oh, so you talking about how lowers is not a wave for airs, and how medina is not doing the wave justice with all those sick airs… but then you remind us all about kelly’s air at Bells(!?!)… u dont make any sense, bro. according to your logic, slater should never be busting airs at bells, cause bells is the ultimate wave for not doing airs.
and sorry, Medina is just begining, he is just showing the world how to surf progressively for now, breaking stupid concepts… he can fly high, anywhere, and he will do it. be it a wave for airs, or not. he can also do superb carving and classic surfing, and his tube riding is getting incredibly better each year. give this guy a year or two with superb waves and that will be it,.,.,he is humble and he will be a complete world champion.
I am brazilian, i am stoked about Medina, but, seriously, John Florence is far ahead in the big stuff.
Both are great surfers and each one brings its own new colours to modern surfing.
i disagree with Ace Buchan’s comment: “you can’t let Gabriel get any lefts”. The reality is you have to be as complete a surfer to beat Medina, which means you have to have as radical and consistent aerial game, and Ace isn’t even remotely in that arena, as good as his own on the wave face surfing is. That simply is the new WCT reality.
but medina is not a complete surfer, his hard to beat in 2 foot surf but like at bells and even snapper this year he was very beatable.
Correct: John john not 2 timeas gaby
Sorry gringos its brasil time!
I am Brazilian, but is such a boring hearing comments like that…talk about the event, the surfers, waves, judgement…
Sorry Brasil-you’re great-getting closer but, Slater isn’t done yet. He’s just to good, experienced & focused—–