By Dan Walsh
Age is but a number when it comes to one of the world’s most challenging breaks after 43-year-old Australian wildcard Nathan Hedge and 50-year-old Kelly Slater wrought havoc on surfing’s world title race at Teahupo’o.
On a day featuring eight-foot barrels and a perfect 10 for South African Matthew McGillivray, North Narrabeen’s Hedge stole the show and barged through to the quarter-finals some 18 years after first making the final of the Tahiti Pro.
A tour favourite and self-confessed party boy in his previous pro surfing incarnation, Hedge retired after a decade on the WSL’s championship tour in 2014, but returned as a controversial wildcard for this week’s event.
In consecutive heats on Friday at Teahupo’o, Hedge first knocked world No.1 Felipe Toledo out of the event before sending No.2 ranked Jack Robinson packing too with a series of stunning rides at the renowned break.
Both Toledo and Robinson had already qualified for next month’s five-surfer field in California next month.
But an eye-watering 9.43 ride from Hedge set up his elimination heat triumph over Toledo, and the chance for West Australian Robinson to move past the Brazilian leader into pole position for the winner-take-all event at Trestles.
Australia’s Nathan Hedge comes out of a barrel ride at Teahupo’o.Credit: WSL/Damien Poullenot
Finishing the regular season in first place qualifies the No.1 ranked surfer straight into a world title match in that event. The next four best surfers then square off in a series of heats to challenge for the championship.
Robinson’s status as arguably the best big-wave rider on tour rightly had him considered a strong chance to snag the yellow leader’s jersey once Hedge had accounted for Toledo. His path to No.1 looked even better when he posted scores of 9.1 and 8.5 for a two-wave total of 17.6 in his round of 16 match-up with Hedge.
But Hedge’s phenomenal 9.87 barrel, coming after a shaky take-off and what appeared to be a certain wipe-out, was followed by an 8.43 ride to tip Robinson out of the event.
“At the start of the heat, Jack really showed me what was up and went around the back behind me,” Hedge told the WSL broadcast.
Nathan Hedge in the water at the Tahiti Pro at Teahupo’o.Credit: WSL/Beatriz Ryder
“The only person who has ever done that to me was Andy (Irons) out here early on in the piece. I just went, ‘he’s gnarly’.
“I had to get through that. To beat Jack, I knew I had to be on the biggest and best waves. I let a couple of so-so ones go, and he kept bettering his score. I was in a corner, but I just kept believing.”
Hedge’s sublime surfing had plenty of company in the best conditions yet at Teahupo’o, with Slater reminding all at the ripe old age of 50 that he still pulls rank in the Tahitian playground.
Eight and nine-point rides from Slater put Australian Connor O’Leary’s bold bid to crack the final five to bed, the American surfing icon prevailing in a high-quality round of 16 clash.
McGillivray also progressed to the same side of the quarter-final draw with a perfect 10 ride, emerging from a gravity-defying take-off to nail an eight-foot barrel.
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