Olympic silver medallist makes early Pipe Pro statement
Former champion Jack Robinson has pulled off one of the waves of the day at Banzai Pipeline as competition got underway in the World Surf League's season-opening event in Hawaii.
The West Australian, who won an Olympic silver medal last year, started with a bang as surfers took to the water in the Pipe Pro after a two-day delay.
With waves between one and two metres on the North Shore of O'ahu, Robinson, who won the Pipe event in 2023, opened with a barrel that scored 8.00, which was the highest of the first round.
Lining up against compatriot Liam O'Brien and Alan Cleland, who is the first Mexican ever to compete full-time on Championship Tour, Robinson kept busy and added a 5.10 from his seven waves for a convincing win.
Cleland's two-wave total of 8.43 pipped O'Brien's 8.17, sending the Queenslander into the sudden death round.
Eleven-time world champion Kelly Slater, who came out of competitive retirement to take up a wildcard, was a heat winner as was reigning world No.1 John John Florence, who announced last week he planned to take the year off following his home-town leg.
Slater, 52, showed he was still one of the best in the business at Pipe, which he last won in 2022, by beating Brazil's world No.2 Italo Ferreira to win the heat.
Robbo slipping under the hood@lexus #PipePro mens opening round is LIVE, full coverage streaming now@yeti pic.twitter.com/sYKRebTg1x
— World Surf League (@wsl) January 29, 2025
Of the remainder of the Australian brigade in the men's event, fifth-ranked Ethan Ewing finished behind South African Matthew McGillivray but avoided the elimination round.
Rookie George Pittar, who grew up in Vanuatu before moving to Sydney, was top two in his heat while another newcomer, 21-year-old Joel Vaughan, and veteran Ryan Callinan were third so are headed for sudden death.
The women's competition is set to get underway following the men's round, with Molly Picklum, Sally Fitzgibbons, Isabella Nichols and Tyler Wright in action.
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