Matt Wilkinson is no one hit wonder. Instead, after winning the Rip Curl Pro, Bells today he is the most unexpected of world title bolters. Kelly Slater gave Wilko a telling endorsement earlier in the week. “I told Wilko, you win a couple more heats, you put a lot of daylight between you and number two. It would be pretty insane to see Wilko pull off another win and be at 20 000 points … It’s an interesting situation for him and a new place for him to feel out the competition.”
Kelly knows the value of claiming consecutive victories in the first two events. In 2006 Kelly won Snapper and Bells, didn’t win another event and still went on to win the world title. Although there are nine more events left, Wilkinson is way out in front in the 2016 race. Matt sits on 20 000 points with Connor Coffin leagues behind on 9200. Responding to Kelly’s comments and the talk of his title run, Wilko was careful not to get too far ahead of himself.
“He (Kelly) actually said it to me in the competitor’s area earlier in the week and I was like ‘ I just made round three dude settle down.’ … To win here is unbelievable and to have such a big lead is something I never expected. I can’t really believe what’s going, but I’ve got a lot of work to do, there’s a lot of tricky waves and lot of really good surfers on tour. They’re gonna be trying to steal this thing off me. (Chuckles and points to the yellow jersey)
Winning his first Bell, Wilko proved that he could be adaptable with conditions and equipment. While in round five he lifted the roof off silky blue canvasses, on finals day the men were in constant argument with grumpy giants. Given the size and girth of the waves Wilko elected to exchange his magic, pink-sprayed DHD wand for a 6’3” step up. Truth be told Wilko never looked quite as comfortable on the bigger board in the quarters and the semis. He survived a nail-baiter against Wiggolly Dantas by pulling out another buzzer beater ride, but by the time he reached the final he was more in synch with his equipment and his 17.37 total was his highest of the day. In his best turns there was still a hint of the tail drift that has been his most potent weapon throughout the event. Even on a finals day they were still talking about Wilko’s 9.57 roof-tickler in round five and given the clutch situation it was performed in, it probably also gives Wilko the title for standout wave of the year so far.
Sporting Aboriginal paint on his face and wrapped in an Aussie flag, Wilko also responded to questions about the mainstream press controversy (The Australian labeled him a ‘Yobbo’) that followed his victory in the Quiksilver Pro. “I don’t know. It’s all behind me. I’m just going to keep wining and they can write what they want…” he quipped.
Wilko’s back-to-back victory, involving nerve-testing last-minute heat wins and ultra-confident, on edge surfing suggests he has discovered the most powerful weapon for any sportsperson – self- belief. With most of the Drug Aware Pro likely to be held in the wedgey, Mainbreak rights Wilko also has every reason to expect a good result on the dynamic backhand that has served him so well in the first two events.
While Wilko is catapulted into a foreign, front-runner realm, we are also finally seeing Jordy Smith in a position where he has the chance to be a real contender. Maligned by injury and form volatilities in recent years, today we saw Jordy surfing to his full potential. Through the quarters and semis he had the perfect combination of brutish power and delicate precision to negotiate the challenging eight-foot conditions. However, Jordy had to surf one extra heat than Matt and it appeared that most of his energy had been expended in a compelling performance against Mick Fanning in the semis. “Mick has four Bells that’s equal to the number of CT wins I have,” noted Jordy as he psyched up for a clash where he attacked the chunky Bells lips with welcome abandon. Asked whether the result had opened the door for him to be a contender Jordy wasn’t game to look too far down the track
“I hope so,” was all he was willing to offer. The shorter muscular rights at Margarets should again suit Jordy. Jordy can get the job done with two explosive turns and the fatigue that wore him down after four heats of long Bells Walls won’t be such a factor. However, for now all eyes are on Wilko, a popular front-runner who seems to have learnt how to balance his flamboyant personality with a polished and professional approach in the water. There’s nothing more dangerous than a guy who has having fun while his winning.
Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach Final Results:
1 –
Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 17.37
2 – Jordy Smith (ZAF) 14.16
Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach Semifinal Results:
SF 1: Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 17.27 def. Italo Ferreira (BRA) 12.40
SF 2: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 17.17 def. Mick Fanning (AUS) 13.90
Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach Quarterfinal Results:
QF 1: Italo Ferreira (BRA) 15.30 def. Nat Young (USA) 12.33
QF 2: Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 13.26 def. Wiggolly Dantas (BRA) 12.00
QF 3: Mick Fanning (AUS) 16.90 def. Conner Coffin (USA) 16.17
QF 4: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 17.77 def. Michel Bourez (PYF) 17.26
Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach Remaining Round 5 Results:
Heat 3:
Mick Fanning (AUS) 14.50 def. Davey Cathels (AUS) 6.33
Heat 4: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 16.80 def. Caio Ibelli (BRA) 16.33
2016 Samsung Galaxy WSL Top 5 Rankings:
1. Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 20,000 pts
2. Conner Coffin (USA) 9,200 pts
3. Jordy Smith (ZAF) 8,500 pts
3. Kolohe Andino (USA) 8,500 pts
5. Mick Fanning (AUS) 8,250 pts
5. Italo Ferreira (BRA) 8,250 pts
5. Stuart Kennedy (AUS) 8,250 pts
