Whatshot
Jordy Smith wins the Ballito Pro
Jordy Smith wins the Ballito Pro
The world's best surfers reveled in the overhead surf at Willard Beach on Day 5 of the Ballito Pro, carving massive arcs, maneuvering into and out of deep tubes and taking to the air with high flying aerials on the two metre plus waves.
After a day of intense competition where the five remaining heats in the Round of 24 and all eight heats in the Round of 16 were completed, Mikey Wright (AUS) emerged as the standout performer, earning the event's highest single ride, a near perfect 9.87 out of 10 for a no-grab full rotation, and heat total with an impressive 18.80 out of 20 in his early morning heat.
One of the most exciting events in the competition was when local surfer Richard Kidd snatched victory away from three of South Africa's top surfers in the final of the SSA Ballito Trials, winning him the Wildcard entry to the WSL, QS10 000 Ballito Pro.
Jordy Smith won the Ballito Pro in front of a packed beach of partisan spectators today, defeating powerful Brazilian Willian Cardoso in a pulsating final to add the 2017 event title to his previous victory in 2010.
Right now the Carona Open J-Bay event is underway in the Eastern Cape, where Matt Wilkinson has left from fifth to first seed, where he will come up against stiff competition in the form of John Florence, Jordy Smith, Adriano de Souza, and Owen Wright.
Excitement is high with swells forecast to be growing in size. Watch this space for more on this event.