John John Florence, your 2016 Oi Rio Pro champ. Photo: WSL
John John Florence just took down the 2016 Oi Rio Pro. As his best result of the year, John now sits in a well-deserved third place on the Jeep Ratings Leaderboard. Anyone smell a world title?
In the electric final heat with CT rookie Jack Freestone, John John utilized his usual repertoire of big man-turns and effortless aerial game, posting a 9.7 and a 9.27 that would eventually get the better of Freestone’s 7.8 and 8.33. Although it may not be the result he wanted, second place is a huge accomplishment for Freestone, who was in exceptional form the entire event. Despite not having a Brazilian in the final, the local crowd had no problem showing their love and support for the Hawaiian John John Florence.
Conditions throughout the contest have been pretty typical for Postinho. Broken up, meager surf prevailed for most of the event, but the final day brought new head high+ surf, offering up plenty of big turns, sky-high aerials, and even a few barrels for those who had a bit of luck on their side.
Aside from the finalists, one performance that must not go unnoticed is that of 2014 world champ Gabriel Medina. From the start, Gabriel was a favorite to win the event. He pulled a few of the biggest airs of the event and posted the only two perfect 10s of the contest.
Congratulations to John John Florence!
