Kelly slater wins the last event of the billabong pipe masters while john john florence wins the vans triple crown
Translation: Heido Sundstrom
The ultimate champion of all time, Kelly Slater, wins his seventh Billabong Pipe Masters in Memory of Andy Irons this past weekend at what was an incredible day at Pipeline, complete with 13-foot waves. Slater defeated Hawaiian John John Florence in a tight and exciting final and Florence’s second place win earned him the top spot of the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing.
During the event, Kelly gave a real show, with exciting heats and incredible demonstrations of his experience at Pipe, which gained him several perfect-10 scores.
“It was a strange final,” expressed Slater. “John John Florence and I waited awhile and neither of us had a good score until later in the competition. I knew it was going to be a sprint and that I was probably at a disadvantage by not having priority in the final, unlike previously when I had the opportunity to catch a ton of waves instead of having to wait. So, I took my time in finding the right wave.”
“The enormous influx of people today is the largest I’ve ever seen in Pipe,” Slater continued. “It’s incredible. I woke up when it was still dark and my friend, Ross Williams, was in my house. We were super stoked to be in Pipe and more so when the waves are good. All the people on the beach, on television and online could watch the event, so it made it that much more exciting.”
“Last year, someone asked me what would excite me during the final years of my career and I said that I would like to compete in a final at Pipe against John John Florence, so it is a very special day today,” said Slater. “But wining is even better. I want to surf against the best surfers in the best waves, that’s why I’m on the tour. I was obviously excited today, especially after Mick Fanning took the title in the quarterfinals. I don’t know what will happen with me in 2014, but I think that I’d be willing to come back for more.”
“Today has been one of the most special days of my life,” Slater went on to say. “It’s a day that I’ve dreamed about since I was a kid...big waves, the perfect western Pipeline angle and a battle in the Pipe Masters. If I had left the sport five years ago, I wouldn’t have enjoyed what I experienced today. I want more days like this, so I’ll definitely be back next year.”
With the Billabong Pipe Masters, the 2013 ASP World Championship Tour (WCT) drew to a close, with epic conditions as the ideal backdrop for the coronation of Australian Mick Fanning as ASP World Champion. The ASP Top 34 list for 2014 was also completed, with Fanning finishing third overall, surpassed by Florence in the semifinals.
BILLABONG PIPE MASTERS FINAL RESULTS
1. Kelly Slater (USA) - 16.37
2. John John Florence (HAW) – 15.90
BILLABONG PIPEMASTERS SEMIFINAL RESULTS
SF 1. John John Florence (HAW) – 18.30, def. Mick Fanning (AUS) – 15.00
SF 2. Kelly Slater (USA) – 19.63, def. Joel Parkinson (AUS) – 14.84
