Gabriel Medina won the Samsung Galaxy Fiji Pro. In small but crisp conditions, Medina took the coveted trophy from Nat Young. His win places him firmly the pole position in the race for the World Title. In a final that lacked any of the old guard, the two young powerhouses showed what they are capable of.
Both surfers looked nearly perfect for the majority of the event, making the absolute most of a contest in which conditions never really shaped up to what we’ve come to expect from Cloudbreak. While it wasn’t massive, perfect barrels, the small size and almost perfect shape lent itself to both competitors’ strengths in the final. Nat Young and Gabriel Medina both excel in smaller, faster waves, and conditions in Fiji for the Samsung Galaxy ASP Fiji Pro gave them a near-perfect canvas to showcase their talents. Medina’s rail game has significantly improved in the last few years, and nowhere has that been more apparent than in the final rounds of the Fiji Pro. His ability to mix up his already established aerial game with a seemingly newfound power and an incredible head for timing is turning out to be something amazing to watch.
While Medina threw the first few punches, Nat Young’s first wave ridden in the final came up in the excellent range. While in a combo situation, Young pulled into a wave and managed to sneak under three different sections. He followed it up with a powerful carve and three smaller flicks before kicking out. Medina answered immediately with a similar wave, getting deeper in the barrel and throwing similarly powerful carves. The judges put Young’s wave at 8.17 while Medina’s dropped at 9.87. Two back to back near-perfect waves had the crowd in hysterics.
As the heat continued, Young found himself back in a combo-situation. With twelve minutes left in a day that saw long lulls, the pressure was on. Pulling into a small one in an attempt to squeeze out a score, Young found himself a little too deep on two consecutive waves, and after a few more failed attempts, with two minutes left on the clock, the American was still bogged down in combo. He pulled into a small wave in the dying minutes of the final and didn’t make it out. The clock counted down, and as the buzzer sounded, Medina threw his hands up in triumph, raised the Brazilian flag, and proved once again that he is a force to be reckoned with.
