The Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast kicked off the 2016 CT season with a thrill ride of upsets and chaos, and at the end of it all stood
Matt Wilkinson, smiling and ready to don the yellow jersey for the first time
in his career. The waiting period for the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach begins
March 24th, and Round 1 holds some interesting heats.
Heat 2 – Julian Wilson vs. Stuart Kennedy vs. Adam Melling:
Wilson, my pick to win the Quiksilver Pro, bowed out unexpectedly in Round 2, while Kennedy was the upset special
of the event. Stu took down several of the biggest names on tour and advanced
all the way to the semifinals at Snapper Rocks. His equipment was the talk of the event, and it will be interesting
to see how he follows up a career performance. Is Julian ripe for another early
loss?
Heat 4 – Gabriel Medina vs. Conner Coffin vs. TBD
Medina, like Wilson, experienced an early exit at Snapper,
his coming in Round 3. He can’t afford a slow start to a second consecutive
season, as it likely cost him the World Title last year. However, things won’t
be easy with Coffin lurking in this heat. I was really impressed by Coffin’s
power rail game at Snapper, and he should be able to unleash that even further
at Bells, especially if it gets big. Medina is a dynamo on his
backhand in big waves, though, making this a great matchup.
Heat 5 – Mick Fanning vs. Keanu Asing vs. TBD
It’s all about Mick here, as he was eliminated in Round 3 at
Snapper in perhaps the biggest surprise of the event. Fanning doesn’t plan to surf all of the CT events
in 2016, so he needs a big result at Bells to earn some serious qualifying points
toward 2017.
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| Mick Fanning could use a good result at Bells to help him qualify for 2017. Courtesy of MarkYourWavesSurf |
Heat 6 – Adriano De Souza vs. Michel Bourez vs. TBD
The reigning champ looked good at Snapper, and he
traditionally performs well at Bells. However, Michel Bourez has the kind of
power game that can really look good in this event. Could we see an upset? I say no, but the matchup is intriguing.
Heat 7 – Kelly Slater vs. Kai Otton vs. Alex Ribeiro
Kelly didn’t look great on the Gold Coast, as his equipment
seemed a bit slow. There’s always the danger of a bad result at Bells cuing a truncated
schedule for Slater this season, and no surfing fan wants that.
Heat 9 – Matt Wilkinson vs. Kolohe Andino vs. Miguel Pupo
Here we’ve got the two finalists from the Quiksilver Pro battling
it out in Round 1. Wait, what? I was under the impression that the heats are
created by ranking, so how is the current World #1 facing the current World #2 in
the first round? I need someone to explain this to me.
Heat 12 – John John Florence vs. Jordy Smith vs. Jadson
Andre
John John looked really good before being eliminated at
Snapper, seeming to have a more strategic approach to his heats. That could spell
serious trouble for the rest of the CT competitors. Jordy should be able to
thrive at Bells thanks to his power, but does he have enough to upset Florence?
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