Rio Pro: Day 4
Let’s start with the rankings.
Carissa is cruising out in front of the Womens, with an almost 4000 point buffer to Johann Defay. Carissa's first Finals win of the season, over Defay, marks them both as the almost certain combatants come the World Title deciding heats at Trestles.
Fil has opened up an even handier lead on No. 2 Jack Robinson. A bee's dick under 10000 points, which is ample insulation if Toledo crumbles at Teahupoo.
There are lot of expressions for incredibly one-sided affairs. Taking candy from a baby comes to mind. It was very close to that for Toledo on Finals Day. He was not really challenged and his 10 point air in the Finals against Sammy Pupo was pure exclamation mark.
The aberration this Season is not that Toledo has Finalled 5 times; it's the fact he has only won two of those Finals. In the grand scheme a Toledo Final usually ends with a Toledo win. He is the Sports supreme closer. Normal transmission was resumed today.
Yago Dora started strong and smooth in his Semi with Pip, and to be honest, it was a much closer affair than the Final. Smooth, strong turns didn't match up well though against Toledo's acute angles of attack.
I'm honestly perplexed by the chatter that seeks to diminish Toledo's surfing as somehow nervous, lacking flow, even lightweight or not powerful. His airs are huge, the backside turns so sharp and tweaked and fully rounded. Yes the judges probably over-cooked a couple of basic two banger waves, but the scale has been generously set all event. A directive from the higher-ups perhaps?
Any Toledo haters reading, please go watch the Final scoring wave against Sammy Pupo, an 8.67. I would like to hear your rebuttal of the sequence of turns, from the floater to the two vertical bangers. In particular, the deep, seamless connected bottom turns, the speed into the lip and the acute angles of attack. No disrespect to counter-availing opinions, I would be genuinely curious to be told why that is not excellent surfing.
Filipe Toledo on his 10-point ride. WSL / Smorigo
I guess while we are here mounting a defence of Brazilian excellence we need to speak on behalf of the beach crowd.
The craziest crowd I've seen was the 2010 Quarter Final at Snapper between Joel Parkinson and Dane Reynolds, held in sunshine in front of tens of thousands in perfect 4ft surf.
I'm not a crowd guy but the energy and the excitement as Dane ripped Snapper a new one with a tail high attack I have still yet to see bettered and Parko tried to mount a come-back with behind the rock surfing was infectious. Immense even.
Toledo rides the energy of the Brazilian beach crowd. Others cannot. It creates an extra dimension to be factored in, an addition in my view.
Packed. WSL / Smorigo
Having said that, the crowd seemed a notch subdued today. It was as if Toledo made it look too easy.
They fired up full force when a hapless Ferreira tried to milk a score on the buzzer in his Semi against Sammy Pupo. Even they seemed to know the flubbed first turn meant the score was always manufactured and not deserved. Italo needed a 6.34 and received a 5.73.
That was spot on judging, even though a Ferreira/Toledo Final would have been a more even affair.
Carissa had a tougher road on Finals Day. She had a tight heat with Tatiana Weston-Webb, in which Tati called Carissa a “rhythm stealer”. The Final wave with solid turns got the job done for Moore.
Carissa. WSL / Smorigo
No airs from the Women in Brazil, none attempted that I saw. With the field reduction and the progressive rookies like Molly Picklum sidelined for now, there's been a retreat back to a more conservative style of surfing, clearly seen on the points totals every heat.
Two turns got a 7, and a pair of them was more than enough to win heats.
Carrissa took the Formula of solid surfing into the Final, started with a mid-ranger, then fell on a better wave that by todays standards would have been a high 8.
Defay surfed on the shoulder on a slopey left for a mid 7. Which looked to be a heat winning wave when she backed it up with a high 4.
Three minutes to go, Riss needs a 6.41. Defay does not put any pressure on her, meanders around catching scraps.
Fifty-six seconds to go, Moore paddles into a overhead left and nails a vert turn and a solid close-out hit. It's easily the score, judges went way off the deep end with the 9.5, but it puts Carissa in tears. Tears of joy.
If you'll pardon an honest reaction, I also shed a few tears of joy. Knowing we are done here and J-Bay is next up on the schedule.
Toledo minimisers need to know he will go into J-Bay as red hot favourite, and that favouritism is richly deserved.
//STEVE SHEARER
Comments
Bring on J-Bay. ASAP!
Felipe Toledo, best surfer in the world right now, the Master of the Game.
If he can win an event in solid, consequential surf -
*best small wave surfer
By a country mile.
Waves of consequence…….. not so much
Would be a good thing for surfing, for Brasilians and for Felipe Toledo if he can step up and remove that *
Nah we need something to laugh at. He’s too good otherwise
small has grown a bit, no?
*small including 8ft j bay….
Well 4 foot Jbay anyway. But, I agree with the above, the best small wave surfer EVER. I really want to see him learn and shred 8 foot heaving lefts. The WHOLE WORLD WOULD LOVE HIM THEN!!!
Appreciate you taking one for the team by enduring this dross in order to bring the reportage. Between the timezone difference , the wave quality and the spittle-flecked true berserkers who make up the crowds, the event itself is about as appealing as putting your cock through the glory hole at a public oval toilet block. These articles keep me tuned into the vibe of the tour without wading into the muck myself. They’re also well written enough to serve as a stand alone point of interest.
Cheers. See you in Seth Efrica bruh. Fingers crossed it’s a good mix of those glassy four -six days where we get to see spray fly from searing rail work and some bigger, hard offshore conditions so the best can show us some fifty yard bottom turns and truck through meaty tubes.
"spittle-flecked" That is true genius! : ))
Didn't watch a single wave. Nias however was great viewing.
Crazy thing is under the old ratings system that ran for decades,Toledo would almost guaranteed be the world champ by now.
Anyone making 5 finals from 8 events and winning 2 of them was almost home and hosed for it.
I can't recall that kind of consistancy through the season since Slater in the 90's.
Was he even that consistant in his 00's title runs?
This new top 5 format rewards guys that wouldn't have won the title before and penalises the number 1 guy that had it all stitched up.
Well that'll be the case if Toledo doesn't win trestles.
He's gonna really feel the hurt with that if it eventuates.
Toledo will 100% win trestles, its him, DAYLIGHT then the next guy especially now Medina is out.
I wouldn't say 100%.
That new format is just waiting for a huge upset and the most consistant surfer all season to watch someone else that's a couple of events behind in points to snatch the title.
Someone one day is going to say when their career is over 'well i would of won a world title if they had of kept the format the same as it used to be from 1977 to 2019'.
It'll rub salt into the wound even harder if the format goes back to how it was relatively soon.
Yeah this kind of dominance deserves to be rewarded. Would be very few that would argue against Fil being the champ this year. Finals sucks.
True, it is not fair
even legends bleed
This is professional surfing - there is never a 100% guaranteed outcome for any event, unless of course, it is rigged.
Who would have predicted Larry Blair winning the Pipeline Masters TWICE when everyone on the North Shore said he was a flaming kook?
Would it feel okay to everyone if we had a world champ that might not make a double digit heat total at Chopes if its firing? Not hating on Fil, he's a beast, but....
No. World champ has to be a superhero who’s ready to die in the attempt. Toledo rips and is welcome to as many second place finishes as he can stomach but a Toledo world title is illegitimate until he makes the crowd gasp at his heavy water audacity and skill.
Never forget Toled0.0 2015 in pumping Chopes.
Agreed DSDS and Burlz. Which other world champs have that asterix next to their name for not making the grade in heavy water waves? Pottz? DeSnooza?
Yes and it would not surprise me to see Toledo with an "injury" so he skips Chopes
Not a worthy world champ in my view if you cant deal with heavy water waves
Best small wave surfer I think I have ever seen
Pottz and Desnooza.....ya kidding right?
Just putting out there mate. Happy to hear your thoughts
Taylor Knox? Not sure he was much chop in waves of consequence
Taylor Knox is a charger
In February 1998, Knox won the inaugural K2 Big-Wave Challenge, an event that offered $50,000 to the surfer who caught the biggest wave of the winter and had photographic evidence. The winning wave was a 52-foot ride at Todos Santos during the Reef Big-Wave World Championships. In 1999 Knox took a one-year hiatus from the World Tour.
You’ve never seen his todos wave?
Not a world champ either I’m pretty sure
Ah yeah, missed the world champ part! i just remember every pipe of Chopes contest he would always have a shocker and there was talk about his big wave surfing.
That Todos wave is big no doubt.
He was barely even a CT event winner.
He won only 1 event in his career.
I believe in was JBay in the early part of his career.
That final with AI in mexico was his only other career highlight i can remember.
The guy had the most powerful hacks on tour there for quite a few years though.
And three 10’s at pumping Kirra if my memory serves me
You're memory serves you wrong.
That was Shane Beschen.
Ah yes. Thank you
Don't think Taylor Knox ever won a CT and Pancho Sullivan was second to AI in Mex, I believe.
I'm pretty sure Knox won at Jbay in the 90's.
Possibly it wasn't a CT event not sure,but i vaguely remember commentators and surf articles years ago saying he's won only 1 event.
100% it was Knox who AI beat at the search event in Mexico 2007.
Well that's what i saw on the video of the final i've watched several times over the years anyway.
It was some other event Pancho got second can't remember which one.
Maybe some other search event.
That was definitely Taylor Knox, he beat Slater in the semi's.
Knox 2nd in Mexico to Irons.
I stand corrected. Someone could have won a lot of money form me on that.
Pottz and DeSnooza both charge
Damian Hardman?
Geebus mate, you name checked an Aussie, you can’t do that! :) Fair call though, I don’t remember him winning in Hawaii. Anyone got the stats?
Sorry, didn't know it was Aussies excepted.
I do know he refused to paddle out at solid pipe. Not sure if it was for a heat. It's been said he had form in that regard though and he's a dual world champ.
I was joking on the Aussie thing - call it as it is! I do remember a few Aussies pulling the pin at the Eddie too from memory
"Pottz?". One particular wave at pipe renders this false...too old to remember the year
Potz charging pipe at 15
I remember that. I had a thought his world title year was won in small waves, but I can't find a link to the events for that year.
I wonder if he'll bother going to Tahiti.
Re Pip and his scoring - at Gland and El Sal his timing/flow maybe wasn’t as good as JR/Ethan or Griffin and the judges knocked him for it as he seems to generate too much speed? IMO at Gland he seemed to do more 2+ stage bottom turns and turn off the tail in the lip rather than the rocker of his rail line - so it appears comparatively flicky. Clearly not an issue at Saquarema.
Can’t see him losing Trestles, can see him getting badly combo-ed by Matahi in round 2 in Tahiti.
Didn't see any of the comp but i love Toledos surfing his rail work has really developed in the last few years and he seems a real nice likable guy.
I really hope he has more of a dig at Tahiti he has the ability its just all in his head, if he can work that out and step it up in heavier waves he could have multiple tittles
He's probably got the biggest overall package in most waves with progressiveness and rail game in anything under 5 ft.
Bigger than that than JJF's rail game pushes him aside and a few others can too such as Jordy.
He shits all over Medina and Ferreira when it comes to turns in smaller waves in my opinion.
One of his waves,.,cant remember which one, the event kinda blended into one....his timing was off it's usual pace. It was noticeable and the commentators even noted it, yet he got an 8plus and pretty much put the heat out of reach from that point. Apart from that, his timing was bang on as always. I still feel like he's the boxer that punches on with boxers a weight category below him with all the confidence and showmanship in the world, but won't face up to someone his own weight and size or bigger. Carries on like a pork chop when he wins in beachies, slinks into the corner when the surfs over 8foot. Lets see him get 8 pluses at Teahupoo or Pipe. Still can't believe he tried to have a paddle battle at 12foot Pipe but refused to take off on a wave. He'll be a world champ this year the way it's panning out. Good on him, but best surfer in the world, not by a long shot.
"Any Toledo haters reading, please go watch the Final scoring wave against Sammy Pupo, an 8.67. I would like to hear your rebuttal of the sequence of turns, from the floater to the two vertical bangers. In particular, the deep, seamless connected bottom turns, the speed into the lip and the acute angles of attack. No disrespect to counter-availing opinions, I would be genuinely curious to be told why that is not excellent surfing."
Not fussed about the final, although the 10 was a joke, but what about the semi?
He got absolutely juiced against Yago Dora. The judges had him winning by 3 points, in a heat he should have lost.
If the scale is set on Yago's first proper score and best wave in the heat (8.67, and I know it's a different heat, but let's say Filipe's 8.67 in the Final that you referenced ), then Filipe's 8.43 was over-scored by a point and a half. This is a prime example of why I'm critical (and I'm sure others are) of Filipe's surfing. There's no flow, it's jerky, arms and head flying everywhere. This is much more typical of his surfing. His two-turn 8.93 was better, but wasn't as good as Yago's first wave, let alone 2.26 points better than Yago's 2nd score.
He might surf some waves to the standard of that 2nd score in the Final, but he's much more likely to be getting juiced for his more typical jerky repertoire.
Playing devil's advocate FR - The explanation I would provide to you would be that whilst it was well surfed, great flow, great tags through the lip - it was just well surfed in a way many in the top 20 (and perhaps even CS) could do on a nice wave. IMHO it was a high 7, and very good, not in the excellent. Gotta be hitting the 'holy shit' that was outstanding to get the excellent?
I did not see the event, and have not seen the other scores to compare though.
Fil goes good in the larger stuff, I mean huge JBay, Bells, Margs etc. Maybe just doesn't reach the top echelon of guys in the backhand slabs like Chopes and Pipe. Looks like he is working hard on it, and with his natural ability, it's hard to see him not improving more.
Where is he working hard on heavy left reefs?
I didn't see any evidence of that at Pipe this year.
Perhaps he'll show us at Chopes soon.
But it's shaping up as a season where many events are failing to reach their potential.
If Chopes does the same,it'll seem like it was preordained for a Toledo title year,as it's already shaped up to be so far.
I don't think it was this year but last year perhaps, Fil gave Pipe a red hot go. I recall a Backdoor nug he pulled into which would have been a hands down 10 had he not been clipped on exit. So maybe it's the heavy lefts he's not so confident on (hopefully) yet.
thought the judges did a good job of emphasising low scores for shitty airs and big scores for hard turns.. hopefully noted by the crowd.
Would love to know what Filli was blowing up at the judges for after his 7 point head dip in the final?
I watched the replays on mute, can't stand wozzle commentary, Cote is worse than Joey and Shannon combined..
Not a Toledo hater at all but I thought Toledo looked a bit over amped . Excellent surfing it was , but my unfiltered view before listening to, or reading about the flow thing, would seem to correspond with many others. Having said that, Fil can get the flow when the mood takes him , I just couldn't see it here.
Main preequisites to be a WSL commentator this year.
Have the most nasally annoying seppo accent going around,and talk complete and utter corporate cock sucking dribble.
Be good if Rabbit would commentate all events.
Even bring back Pottz compared to this current bunch.
#wherezpottz
Down here playing golf.
And Barton just announced that WSL don’t want him this year.
He was outspoken against covid, I’m assuming this is why
I find it quite conspicuous none of the aussie stalwart commentators of recent years have been commentating on location in the events outside of Australia this year.
The inner scepticist in me has me suspecting they didn't apply for experimental clinical trial vaccine passports lol.
Or maybe the WSL just decided in the pre season,,with no public announcement or acknowledgement at all,that it would go for 100% seppo commentating unless in Australia from now on.
Oh there it is. The dopey five percenters are here. If Barton is an anti vaxx flog, I’m super disappointed, he’s generally a smart guy
What about the dopey 95%ers who actually believe they really are 95% of everyone.
Turn the numbers around and you'll be much closer to the real figures,if you haven't gleaned that yet from your own social circles and settings.
Or unless you're from that one suburb wherever it was where the 95% figure is actually true.
Ahh the 6pm newsreaders and politicians have always been the source of the gospel truth huh lol..
I've never heard Barton or anyone like him talk about anti vax stuff in the past but now he's an anti vax flog somehow.
You gotta watch the ones with attitudes like that.
The government and media could manipulate them into doing anything for a cause or agenda.
Human history is chock full of manipulating one group of people against another to serve it's own purposes.
Anyway move on from the vax debate mate,there's over 70 countries now where u don't need it for entry,and there's bigger issues that affect more people than covid ever did like rising interest rates,sky high fuel and energy prices,inflation,$10 lettuces etc etc.
And he’s off and racing…….yawn
Bahaha you're the one that was walking past and poked your beak into the topic.
Sorry mate, I forgot you and Barton are besties just like you and Kelly
Well i didn't forget you were the custom's agent at the airport that checked Kelly's vax certificate and cleared him to enter the country when he showed up for the Oz contests that's how sure you were of his status.
That one goes next to your name for life mate lol..
Still butt hurt he literally said he was vaxxed? Lol, all good mate, when 95% of us die you can flail on the shoulder without anyone else in the water. You win, lol. How is it you carnts can turn any topic into another anti vaxx rant? Time to move on ya reckon?
Fingers crossed it'll only be us 5% that'll die huh.
Still be packed out at the good spots unfortunately though lol.
Anti (covid) vax rant or covaxtard rant.
I'll take the former,you take the later.
Butthurt?
Not at all hehe.
What i saw was him deflect attention away from an awkward situation by implying he might be vaxxed without actually admitting it.
You of course saw him hold a press conferance getting jabbed in front of the cameras thus eliminating any doubt in your own mind whatsoever that he is lol.
yep, he is both smart & anti covid narrative.
You too Burleigh? Fark me. Maybe Uncle Knuckles needs to have a chat with you (face palm emoji)
Seems your 95% might already be crumbling right here right now lol.
so you think its smart to partake of something you no nothing about ?...that appears unsafe and ineffectual so far
I used to bag Pottz a bit but fark I miss him now ,at least compared to the nasally seppos ,ice pick in the temple voices and opinions that has become the base of the commentary team. Bummer about BL too.
I'll switch the mute off when big Luke E gets in the booth but that's about it.
I hear you, but Luke is a white shoe developer now trying to concrete what’s left of Greenmount. Hard pass
The commentary actually seems to have turned a corner this year. Laura Enever did a great job this event. A couple of times Joe and Cote would go off on a random tangent, and she’d redirect them back to what was actually happening.
Also it seems like all of the commentators have been given a directive to not sit on the fence as much and actually say whether or not they think a surfer got the score or not. Baby steps for sure, but definitely an improvement.
Cote calling Kelly's ridiculous Pipe win this year was one of the all time commentary lowlights.
Any other commentator would have been better.
Also, Barton is pretty annoying, a bit too over-enthusiastic. I doubt its just his Covid stance that did him in.
Feels like i smell Laura through the monitor sometimes.
I thought Toledo beat Medina last year at Trestles, his on rail surfing was much more impressive than Madina’s airs.
I still don’t agree that one air is worth a 10
His rail surfing at Trestles last year was next level.
Any one else feel like Yago tried to channel a bit of Fil's post turn body mechanics in their semi? I hadn't noticed Yago do that before.
The Carissa vs Carolyn Marks quarter-final. Carissa was pretty lucky here. Carolyn’s second last wave could well have received enough points to win the heat but her big manoeuvre was bafflingly deemed incomplete.
When does a venue start to be a 'wave of consequence' and when does it become an extreme sport?
I don't really get the braggadocio thing going on here. Toledo is unreal and he and Dora are easier on the eye than some of their compatriots. Ethan E is still the most seamless surfer to these eyes.For much of the back end of the comp the urgency seemed a bit forced. Maybe I am a little parochial but performances seem better when it's nation on nation. I was quite surprised by a number of judging calls.
Ethan Ewing is about to surf the best wave on tour for seemless surfing.
I reckon he could give Curren all those years ago a run for his money on the most seamless surfing ever done at Jbay.
Which basically means the most seemless surfing ever done on any wave period.
After 4 day's of watching this shit freeride, maybe you have slowly got caught up in the hype? No disrespect but I've seen better surfing this week at my local ( san's the air's), embarrassed for those presenter's, they really went above and beyond the call but FUCK is this IT in 2022?
I possibly did.
Jetson.Rover. Game over
Im no expert but I just watched the semi finals and final again , on mute may I add .
No doubt Fil rips but being a surfing "style puritan" Im never gonna like all that arm flapping . Others on here are supportive of his title charge this year and rightly so . However to my eyes he seems rushed .
Perhaps he has more fast twitch fibres than most, which aids his speed and reaction times . But it leaves me unconvinced .
I remember Kelly admitting to using his arms to dramatize some acute turns , but he had buckets of everything else you need to win 11 titles .
Still can't beat parko and JJF for complete arm flap control in any conditions.
Toledo's arm control is not bad in solid overhead bells and jbay where he stays on the wave and uses his rail game only,but as soon as he's looking to go to the air,he gets pretty frantic looking for the ramp to boost and then the arms come out looking to become wings to fly.
All the air brigade boys are the same in that way.
Ferriera is the worst for it i reckon.
Just tried to watch a couple of condensed heat replays.
Even they were boring.
I only watched 5 minutes of Carissas final and 5 mins of Filipes final...not a bad a frame on some coming in on some, but not deserving of a world title race location in my humble and arrogant opinion.
Bring on a strike mission tour of
-cloudbreak
-g-land
-anywhere between johnsons and tea tree
-maceronis
-keramas
-j bay (may not need to strike mission, just a waiting period
-pipe and backdoor
-sunset
-somewhere excellent in maldives.
Brazil has to be there.
They got 5,probably about to be 6,world titles since 2014.
And the biggest crowds of any event watching on the beach.
As well as that,some years some A grade waves fail to show,such as G land 3 weeks ago,and the waves at the brazil event were better.
Most of all,the internet sufing websites wouldn't be able to handle all the constant online crying and abuse by Brazzos over not having an event on tour anymore.
Fact is the Brazzo event will be staying on tour longer than most of the other events whether we like it or not.
That's already been evidenced over the past decade or so.
The money on that event talks louder than most others that's just the reality of things.
Great surfer but remember the Box 0.0
Phil’s year… the talk of him not being a legit World Champ cause he ain’t a charger.
Heats at Pipe, Chopes and The Box come to everyone’s mind.
He might do well to have a word with Damien Hardmen about his 2 World Titles as a perceived non charger.
Honestly from what little I saw of the Rio comp, the very best part was the Nias comp.
tried to enjoy this event……but just couldn’t
that said,, agree with you steve - fil’s surfing is high risk, dynamic and top notch - can’t see why people would want to shit-can him
i’m not the praying kind, but please huey, can you work your magic at j-bay
I thought you would say something about jack x herdy. Judges are really bad this year, was like they were trying to compensate gland and el salvador
Filipe does an air the judges give him an overs scored 10 ...Ho hum ..nothing new here....The predictable snoozfest continues.......Takeoff ... Bottom turn ...off the top turn...speed run (missing all the smackable sections)...into "passe" rotation.... Judges piss their pants in excitement and throw up an "Excellent" number. Yawn...next!!