Matt Wilkinson loses Fiji Pro final to Gabriel Medina

AUSSIE Matt Wilkinson was not able to find enough to defeat former world champion Gabriel Medina at the Fiji Pro.

Mick Fanning was knocked out of the Fiji Pro in the quarterfinals.

AUSSIE Matt Wilkinson was not able to find enough to defeat former world champion Gabriel Medina at the Fiji Pro.

Wilkinson, surfing in his third final of the year, held the lead midway through the final but a couple of solid waves from Medina — one in which he barrelled and pulled off an air to finish and then backed it up with his highest scoring wave of 8.27 — was enough to seal victory 15.60 to 6.34.

It was Medina’s second win at Fiji, his first coming in 2014.

Runner-up Matt Wilkinson congratulates Gabriel Medina on his victory at the #FijiPro pic.twitter.com/IsuLCYEx0V

— Fantasy Surfer (@fantasysurfer) June 17, 2016

The swell was big and hard to handle for both surfers, with wash-throughs making it difficult for either to get barrels.

The loss means Wilkinson still holds his world number ranking with 32,500 tour points now, Medina moves to second on 24,000.

Wilkinson had said he was tired heading into the final, stating he needed “two new arms” and Medina’s extra rest time before the final may have been a factor in helping him to the win.

“I’m really stoked with second. If I came here knowing I would have got a second I would have been absolutely frothing. It was disappointing not to get a big barrel when there were some to be had out there but I had 20 sets and one barrel and got caught in it.

“I felt like I was just paddling and duck diving and as soon as the set was gone you had to get into position and a big set would come again and it was a neverending cycle.

“Gabby was unbelievable out there and those two waves he got, I only saw them from behind, but I’m sure they were pretty sick barrels.

Yeah @gabriel1medina pulled off this air at #CLOUDBREAK. Then he proceeded to beat @mattwilko8 and win the #FijiPro. pic.twitter.com/tJkaZHTcDJ

— Ho Stevie! (@HoStevie) June 17, 2016

“I was stoked to make the final and I’m excited for the rest of the year.

Wilkinson is now in a good position to really challenge for the 2016 world title with an 8,500 lead heading into the next event at Jefferys Bay, but with Medina sitting in second - jumping nine spots after Fiji - and starting to surf strong, it’ll be a tough second half of the season.

“It’s halfway through the year and I couldn’t have dreamed of a better start, Everyone’s going to be coming for me so it’s not time to let up on the accelerator I’m going to go to J-Bay as focused and ready as I can and hopefully end up with another win or final. I don’t know, hopefully I can keep going like this all year.”

“Coming into here [Fiji] after two average results I felt a little bit of pressure at a place where I hadn’t really had a result before so I think now I’m going into events that I really feel like I have a great shot at. I don’t know, no pressure, I’m just excited and hopefully I can stay feeling this good.”

Australians had featured in the finals at Fiji, Wilkinson defeated Adrian Buchan in the semi, while Buchan edged out Mick Fanning by just 1.20 points in the quarterfinal round.

Originally published as Matt Wilkinson loses Fiji Pro final to Gabriel Medina