Jordy takes title in Hawaii
Durban surfer, Jordy Smith, clinched his first event victory in Hawaii.
DURBAN’S Jordy Smith won the Vans World Cup of Surfing at Sunset Beach on Sunday, to claim his first victory in Hawaiian waves.
The 28-year-old Durbanite triumphed in a stacked final that included Frederico Morais (Portugal), Torrey Meister (Hawaii) and Tanner Gudauskas (USA).
“It’s unbelievable, I can’t believe it. I feel like this event has eluded me in the past. I didn’t have any expectations coming in this year, I think that was the difference. I just kind of went out there with an open mind. Thanks to everyone who supported me,” said Smith
The final Qualifying Series (QS) of the year and one of only five 10,000 rated events in 2016, the Vans World Cup marks Smith’s second competitive victory this year, his first a Championship Tour (CT) win at the Hurley Pro at Trestles in September. But despite reaching the final at Sunset twice in the past, a win in Hawaii has eluded him since he began competing professionally.
“Early in my career I made a couple finals out here, I really had something going with the place. I don’t know, it’s been like six or seven years where I just couldn’t do a thing right. And then, everything just came together this year so I’m just really happy,” continued Smith.
The victory sees Smith, ranked No. 3 on the CT, leapfrog into third place on the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing rankings going into the final event at Pipeline which starts on Thursday. The South African is 5,900 points behind Morais, who finished second in both the first event at Haleiwa and at Sunset, and just 200 points behind recently crowned 2016 WSL Champion John John Florence (Hawaii) who won at Haleiwa.
Smith, who was crowned the Triple Crown ‘Rookie of the Year’ in back in 2009, said he has been ‘camping out’ at Pipeline this year in a determined effort to improve on his mediocre previous results in the season-ending CT event. He is bidding to become the first South African man to clinch the Triple Crown, an accolade second only to a World Title in prestige. Heather Clark (South Africa) is the only previous SA winner, clinching the Women’s Triple Crown title in 2000.
The eyes of the surfing world will now be firmly fixed on Pipeline, a mile to the West of Sunset Beach on the North Shore of Oahu, where the Billabong Pipe Masters in Memory of Andy Irons – the final event of the Samsung Galaxy Championship Tour and last gem of the Vans Triple Crown – takes place from 8 to 20 December.
