{"id":43091,"date":"2013-08-19T09:20:35","date_gmt":"2013-08-19T16:20:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.boardistan.com\/?p=43091"},"modified":"2013-08-19T11:12:31","modified_gmt":"2013-08-19T18:12:31","slug":"ace-buchan-snatches-teahupoo-from-slater","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.boardistan.com\/?p=43091","title":{"rendered":"Ace Buchan Snatches Teahupo’o From Slater"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Buchan7570Tahiti13Kirstin\"<\/a><\/p>\n

A slim swell forecast saw the 2013 Billabong Pro Tahiti<\/a><\/strong> blast on all the way to the finish yesterday (August 18, 2013) in barreling four to six-foot surf at Teahupo’o. And with the help of at least one interesting call from the tower Adrian Buchan<\/strong> was able to better Kelly Slater<\/strong> by 1.04 points to win his second ever WCT event.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t believe it,\u201d Buchan said. \u201cKelly (Slater) is incredible and I thought he snatched it for me at the end. I couldn\u2019t go right\u2026but I probably should have. I still can\u2019t believe it. It hasn\u2019t sunk in. What an incredible day though. The sun came out during the last five minutes and it\u2019s all just really special right now.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

With his second place finish, Kelly Slater moved back into lead of the ASP World Tour Rankings, you know, where he’s been for most of his seemingly endless career. Mick Fanning and Joel Parkinson are now in second and third. For the official word from the ASP, follow the jump.TEAHUPO\u2019O, Tahiti (Sunday, August 18, 2013) \u2013 Adrian Buchan (AUS), 30, has claimed the 2013 Billabong Pro Tahiti over 11-time ASP World Champion and four-time Billabong Pro winner Kelly Slater (USA) in solid four-to-six foot (1.5 \u2013 2 metro) waves at Teahupo\u2019o.<\/p>\n

Event No. 6 of 10 on the 2013 ASP World Championship Tour (WCT), this season\u2019s Billabong Pro Tahiti saw the famed South Pacific reef pass of Teahupo\u2019o turn on throughout the event with the world\u2019s best surfers redefining high-performance barrel-riding, culminating in a electric, marathon 19-heat final day.<\/p>\n

The young Australian was on a tear during the final day of competition, posting excellent scores through his five heats today. Buchan\u2019s back-to-back 9-point rides to open up the Final for phenomenally deep forehand barrels proved enough to stave off an inspired recovery from Slater, including a death-defying righthand barrel in the dying moments of the Final.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t believe it,\u201d Buchan said. \u201cKelly (Slater) is incredible and I thought he snatched it for me at the end. I couldn\u2019t go right\u2026but I probably should have. I still can\u2019t believe it. It hasn\u2019t sunk in. What an incredible day though. The sun came out during the last five minutes and it\u2019s all just really special right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Buchan\u2019s win today marks the second of his eight-year career amongst the world\u2019s elite (his first in France over Slater in 2008) and Central Coast goofy-footer rockets from 18th to 10th on the 2013 ASP WCT rankings.<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew I had to step it up today,\u201d Buchan said. \u201cHad to plow through some big names today. Every time I paddled out, I told myself that I only had to catch two waves. That was my mantra through each heat and it worked out well for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Slater was a man possessed on the final day of competition, surviving horrific wipeouts throughout his five heats of competition to find himself in this evening\u2019s Final against Buchan. Despite an incredible backhand barrel and a last-minute effort on a right-hander, the Australian\u2019s early scores would prove too much for Slater to overcome.<\/p>\n

\u201cTook a few poundings out there today for sure,\u201d Slater said. \u201cFelt like I dislocated my shoulder at one point but it feels okay now. The waves were really fun today and Ace (Adrian Buchan) just happened to get those two gems at the start of the heat. Those two were the ones and I would have preferred a win, but Ace has been in really good form all day and he\u2019s a deserving winner.\u201d<\/p>\n

Slater\u2019s Final berth this evening pushes the Floridian into the frontrunner spot on the 2013 ASP WCT rankings heading into the back four events of the season.<\/p>\n

\u201cTrestles, Europe and Pipe is a pretty strong leg for me historically,\u201d Slater said. \u201cIt\u2019s pretty close at the top right now so it will be an interesting finish to the season.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kai Otton (AUS), 33, proved one of the form goofy-footers of the Billabong Pro Tahiti, consistently notching excellent scores and heat totals en route to the Semifinals. The Australian\u2019s passionate and committed forehand tube-riding approach was no match for Slater, however, with Otton settling a matched career-best Equal 3rd.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a pretty pivotal moment for me in my year,\u201d Otton said. \u201cI think I can confidently say that this result sets me up pretty well for requalification for next year. I obviously wanted to beat Kelly (Slater) there, but sometimes things don\u2019t go your way. Still happy with the result though.\u201d<\/p>\n

Otton vaults from 17th to 13th on the 2013 ASP WCT rankings.<\/p>\n

Mick Fanning (AUS), 32, two-time ASP World Champion and defending Billabong Pro Tahiti winner, was in fine form throughout the event, but ultimately fell to a rampaging Buchan in this evening\u2019s Semifinals. Despite an impressive 9.13 of his own, Fanning was unable to overcome an early onslaught from his compatriot and settled for Equal 3rd.<\/p>\n

\u201cBig picture is all going well,\u201d Fanning said. \u201cAnother Semifinal? You can\u2019t be disappointed with that. Ace (Buchan) had a great heat with a phenomenal start and I had a couple of opportunities to come back but the tube monster got me. That said, I had a couple of close heats so to finish Equal 3rd is a good result.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe forecast was looking pretty dim before the event started but I think it\u2019s been one of the better years for waves we\u2019ve had,\u201d Fanning said. \u201cWe finished early and I\u2019m looking forward to a little more time at home before the next big leg.\u201d<\/p>\n

John John Florence (HAW), 20, has been in sensational form since his return from an early-season injury. One of the event favorites in Tahiti, Florence nailed an incredible double barrel Perfect 10 to open his Quarterfinal bout against Buchan this morning but was ultimately unable to overcome a massive heat total from the Australian. Although having to settle for Equal 5th in Tahiti, Florence was awarded the Andy Irons Most Committed Award for the event \u2013 honoring the late three-time ASP World Champion and Tahiti\u2019s favorite adopted son.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m very honored to be awarded the AI Most Committed Award,\u201d Florence said. \u201cHe was a mentor to me and all my friends growing up. We all miss AI. We all still look up to him and what he did in the water. I obviously wanted to do better in the event, but if I couldn\u2019t make it any further, this award is pretty much the most special one I could win. Looking forward to the next one.\u201d<\/p>\n

Highlights from the Billabong Pro Tahiti will be available via http:\/\/www.billabongpro.com\/tahiti13<\/p>\n

The next stop on the 2013 ASP World Championship Tour (WCT) will be the Hurley Pro at Trestles in Southern California from September 15 \u2013 21, 2013.<\/p>\n

For additional ASP information log on to www.aspworldtour.com<\/p>\n

BILLABONG PRO TAHITI FINAL RESULTS:
\n1 \u2013 Adrian Buchan (AUS) 18.94
\n2 \u2013 Kelly Slater (USA) 17.90<\/p>\n

BILLABONG PRO TAHITI SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
\nSF 1: Adrian Buchan (AUS) 18.67 def. Mick Fanning (AUS) 15.80
\nSF 2: Kelly Slater (USA) 16.73 def. Kai Otton (AUS) 7.67<\/p>\n

BILLABONG PRO TAHITI QUARTERFINAL RESULTS:
\nQF 1: Mick Fanning (AUS) 12.07 def. Josh Kerr (AUS) 7.06
\nQF 2: Adrian Buchan (AUS) 19.17 def. John John Florence (HAW) 17.33
\nQF 3: Kai Otton (AUS) 16.54 def. Julian Wilson (AUS) 13.90
\nQF 4: Kelly Slater (USA) 16.86 def. Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) 8.66<\/p>\n

BILLABONG PRO TAHITI ROUND 5 RESULTS:
\nHeat 1: Mick Fanning (AUS) 14.20 def. Jeremy Flores (FRA) 13.40
\nHeat 2: Adrian Buchan (AUS) 14.16 def. Jordy Smith (ZAF) 8.30
\nHeat 3: Julian Wilson (AUS) 18.00 def. C.J. Hobgood (USA) 17.27
\nHeat 4: Kelly Slater (USA) 16.74 def. Joel Parkinson (AUS) 13.97<\/p>\n

BILLABONG PRO TAHITI ROUND 4 RESULTS:
\nHeat 1: Josh Kerr (AUS) 16.67, Jeremy Flores (FRA) 16.47, Jordy Smith (ZAF) 8.67
\nHeat 2: John John Florence (HAW) 18.67, Adrian Buchan (AUS) 17.80, Mick Fanning (AUS) 12.10
\nHeat 3: Kai Otton (AUS) 18.93, Julian Wilson (AUS) 18.74, Kelly Slater (USA) 14.77
\nHeat 4: Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) 18.53, Joel Parkinson (AUS) 17.47, C.J. Hobgood (USA) 16.70<\/p>\n

BILLABONG PRO TAHITI REMAINING ROUND 3 RESULTS:
\nHeat 9: Julian Wilson (AUS) 13.34 def. Adam Melling (AUS) 0.73
\nHeat 10: C.J. Hobgood (USA) 9.60 def. Yadin Nicol (AUS) 7.10
\nHeat 11: Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) 16.70 def. Gabriel Medina (BRA) 16.16
\nHeat 12: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 16.33 def. Alain Riou (PYF) 15.76<\/p>\n

CURRENT ASP WCT TOP 5 (Following Billabong Pro Tahiti):
\n1. Kelly Slater (USA) 38,950 pts
\n2. Mick Fanning (AUS) 37,900 pts
\n3. Joel Parkinson (AUS) 30,700 pts
\n4. Jordy Smith (ZAF) 29,200 pts
\n5. Taj Burrow (AUS) 25,400 pts<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A slim swell forecast saw the 2013 Billabong Pro Tahiti blast on all the way to the finish yesterday (August 18, 2013) in barreling four to six-foot surf at Teahupo’o. And with the help of at least one interesting call from the tower Adrian Buchan was able to better Kelly Slater by 1.04 points to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.boardistan.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43091"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.boardistan.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.boardistan.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.boardistan.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.boardistan.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=43091"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/www.boardistan.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43091\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":43094,"href":"http:\/\/www.boardistan.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43091\/revisions\/43094"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.boardistan.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=43091"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.boardistan.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=43091"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.boardistan.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=43091"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}