Viewed 11420 times since 17th Oct 2011

CLEAN four-to-six foot plus (1.5 – 2 metre) left and right barrels graced the primary site of Supertubos this afternoon as the Rip Curl Pro Portugal completed the opening round of competition.

Joel Parkinson (AUS), 30, wasted no time in lighting things up, opening the round with the highest heat total of the day, a 17.87 out of a possible 20, with some inspired tube-riding on his forehand.

“The conditions improved so much in the span of one heat when compared to the warm-up just before,” Parkinson said. “It was great and everyone was getting barrels and scores. I guess it just shows how quickly things can change out there.”

The frontrunners in the hunt for the 2011 ASP World Title continued to perform well. Both Kelly Slater (USA), 39, current ASP World No. 1, and Owen Wright (AUS), 21, current ASP World No. 2, posted commanding wins in their respective Round 1 bouts, advancing directly into Round 3 of competition.

Highlights from the Rip Curl Pro Portugal will be available here.

© Rip Curl - 2012