On a finals day with unpredictable twists and turns, what would have been the least likely scenario at the beginning of the year came to fruition Thursday as Adriano de Souza closed out his dream season with his first career
On a finals day with unpredictable twists and turns, what would have been the least likely scenario at the beginning of the year came to fruition Thursday as Adriano de Souza closed out his dream season with his first career world championship.
Needing to outlast rival Mick Fanning, who lost earlier in the semifinals, de Souza managed to scrap out a semifinal victory over Mason Ho to clinch the 2015 title. He followed it up with a finals win over defending world champ Gabriel Medina to earn his first Pipe Masters victory.
Entering the event, de Souza’s mission was fairly simple, but seemed like a long shot. He needed to advance beyond Fanning and also avoid a Medina blitz that had begun to look increasingly more likely. His countryman was the one who gave him the ultimate opportunity as Medina outpointed Fanning in a tough semifinal that certainly could have gone either way. All the pressure then fell on de Souza to avoid another wildcard defeat, which has been his undoing this season.
He and Ho tussled for tricky waves and the Oahu native needed just a 3.01 in the closing minutes, but that was a difficult number to attain for much of the day. Hollow tubes were few and far between and quick cover-ups netted only minimal points from the judges. Ho continued to fight for the score, but de Souza maintained late priority. The pair both went after the final wave at the horn and Ho gave the new champ a congratulatory high five as each stood atop their boards.
Though he wasn’t crowned world champion for the fourth time in his career, the 2015 season still seems to have belonged to Fanning. He’s been the headliner from midseason through Thursday. From the events at Jeffreys Bay to his back-and-forth battles with de Souza and Filipe Toledo to the circumstances under which he surfed Pipeline, Fanning displayed the will and humility of a champion. He won’t have the season-ending hardware, but he’s the season’s defining character and has probably earned more respect and praise in defeat than his three championship seasons combined.
While his world title hopes also came up just short, Medina did earn his first Triple Crown of Surfing title after a seventh place at the Hawaiian Pro, a fifth and the World Cup and a runner-up at Pipe. Medina finished his season on a tear, reaching the semifinals in four of the last five Championship Tour events after none in the first six.
As a former Triple Crown champion, himself, the past couple days have been difficult ones for Kauai’s Sebastian Zietz. Needing a deep run in the Pipe Masters to assure re-qualification for his fourth season on the CT, Zietz came devastatingly close in Wednesday’s third-round heat against Jeremy Flores. In a combination position, Zietz found one of the contest’s best Pipeline barrels and got as deep as one could before being spit out for a perfect 10 from the judges. From there, he needed just a 4.44 backup but was awarded a 4.23 on his closest effort and saw the clock run out on his season.
This means a return to the Qualifying Series next season if Zietz hopes to return to the CT in 2017. He expressed his thanks and desire to return after the loss and with the experience he’s garnered over the past three years, he should be considered one of the favorites to man the top of next year’s QS rankings.
Unpredictability was the recurring theme of the 2015 season and that remained the case Thursday as the year came to a close. With a first-time champion and a first-time Triple Crown winner, the sport appears to be as competitive as ever.
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David Simon can be reached at dsimon@thegardenisland.com.
