Kelly Slater, slotted in a gaping Pipe barrel. || John John chaired up the beach after winning the Triple Crown.
In 15-20 foot Pipe, Kelly Slater crushed the field and hoisted his seventh Pipe Masters trophy. The world title was never his to determine, but what he could control he made sure to take all the way. His win was punctuated with a perfect 10, plenty of “look away barrels” and relentlessly putting his opponents in the combo situation.
John John Florence was also on a tear all day and made it obvious where he was raised. In his backyard of Pipeline, Florence threaded plenty of throaty barrels with his devil-may-care style which was rewarded time and again by the judges. After smoking the new world champ in their semifinal heat, John John was chaired up the beach as the winner of the 2013 Vans Triple Crown of Surfing. This is his second Triple Crown victory.
Before the final heat in which Kelly Slater and John John Florence squared off, Kelly was asked about how the final would play out. He stood on the podium and said, referring to John John, “This guy’s the king out here and I’m the old lion trying to hang on so we’ll see what happens.”
BILLABONG PIPE MASTERS FINAL RESULTS:
1 – Kelly Slater (USA) 16.37
2 – John John Florence (HAW) 15.90
BILLABONG PIPE MASTERS SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
SF 1: John John Florence (HAW) 18.30 def. Mick Fanning (AUS) 5.00
SF 2: Kelly Slater (USA) 19.63 def. Joel Parkinson (AUS) 14.84
