It was just a little wave: Brazil’s champion surfer Gabriel Medina dumped from Bells
Brazil’s three-times world champion Gabriel Medina was eliminated from the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach on Saturday after missing a wave. ‘This is the worst judging I have ever seen,’ he judged afterwards.
’Tis the dream sporting tour. Ten surfing events at the ten most idyllic locations on the planet. Gorgeous sunrises, perfect waves, a beautifully adventurous, globetrotting lifestyle … but the losses are still the pits.
Brazil’s three-times world champion Gabriel Medina was eliminated from the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach on Saturday. He trudged through the car park above Winkipop like he was cursed. Or shafted by the judges. Or both. The lightning-quick goofyfooter was rocking and rolling in his third round heat against American rookie Cole Houshmand before being pipped by 14.27 points to 13.77.
“This is the worst judging I have ever seen,” he said.
Medina ignored a smallish wave that swung through in the final moments. Houshmand pounced and tore it to shreds. Snatched a heat-winning 7.47 points. Seemed generous, to be honest. The vanquished nearly fell off his board in shock. Could’ve called the cops. Reckoned he was robbed.
To the suggestion he erred by brushing that late wave, Medina replied: “I made the mistake? This is funny. It’s bad for the sport, you know? I’ve been through a lot of judging things but maybe I feel like this is the worst one. It’s something we’ve got to talk about.
“The last wave was small. I didn’t even paddle. We pretend it’s not happening. It’s happening. It’s just bad for the sport and I just hope it can improve and get better.”
Medina is a giant of the World Surf League. He’s triumphed at Pipeline, Jeffreys Bay, Snapper Rocks, Margaret River, Teahupo’o, Cloudbreak, Kelly Slater’s Surf Ranch, every prestigious spot on tour – except Bells. He was looking razor-sharp here and it was thought this might be his year. Not to be. Medina loves Bells. Bells is yet to love him back.
“Hopefully they [the judges] listen to us more, you know?” he said. “It is what it is. It’s happening. I’m going to try to focus on my surfing – but this is sad. We do so much travel, so much is on the line, we travel and go far, our families are back home, we train a lot – I just feel bad, you know? It sucks. But it is what it is.”
Eleven-times world champion Kelly Slater kissed Bells goodbye with a third-round loss to Hawaiian Barron Mamiya. The 52-year-old G.O.A.T. hasn’t formally announced his retirement but it’s pretty much a given that he’s done. He has a baby on the way. His hip injury is a burden. He’s unlikely to make the mid-season cut. There’s no guarantee he’ll even contest next month’s Western Australia Margaret River Pro.
“Even with Kelly at 52, I was really nervous,” Mamiya said. “I’ve never really beaten Kelly in a man-on-man heat so it was nice to finally get him on one before he finally retires, or whatever he does.
Three Australians remain in the hunt to ring the bell. Young local wildcard Ellie Harrison is the only homegrown woman through to the quarter-finals. Wildcard Morgan Cibilic and Olympics-bound Ethan Ewing are into the last eight for the men.
Two certainties from here. Losers will take a grim view of the judging. Winners will salute and say it’s spot-on.
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