Julian Wilson, Pipe Master. Photo:Santiago Bisso
Julian Wilson won the Billabong Pipe Masters today over the newly crowned world champion Gabriel Medina. In a final that ran down to the very dying moments of the heat, it was Wilson’s final wave that put the nail in the coffin.
After Medina dropped a perfect 10 with a Backdoor barrel that no one on the beach expected him to exit from, he found a solid 8.0 Pipe wave.With ten minutes left in the heat, Wilson was sitting on a near-perfect 9.93 and a 1.17. The beginning of the heat felt like a victory lap for Medina – his normally serious demeanor in the water seemed a little more light-hearted, and his surfing, as usual, was tack sharp.
With six minutes left, Wilson pulled into a Backdoor bomb that may have given him the score he needed. Backdoor had the last word, though, and pinched on the Australian. Then, with two minutes left, a set appeared on the horizon. Wilson took off first on a good-sized Backdoor wave, needing a high 8.0 to take the lead. After doggie-dooring the exit, he raised his arms in triumph… but Medina, as usual, wasn’t going unheard. The next wave in set turned into a true Pipeline wave, one that Medina navigated almost perfectly. After the horn sounded, all ears were on the judging booth – and when the call came down, the Billabong Pipe Masters was Julian Wilson’s. His final wave came in at a 9.7, while Medina’s fell just short.
“Best day of my life,” Wilson said in a post-heat interview. “I never gave up… It doesn’t feel real. Hands down, best day of my life.”
