Jordy Smith is a crowd a favorite and sure to missed by all of the fans watching from home. Photo: WSL/Will H-S
Jordy Smith and Matt Banting have both withdrawn from the Billabong Pro Tahiti event starting on August 14.
Smith is still nursing knee and back injuries while Banting is rehabbing the same knee injury that made him withdraw from the J-Bay Open.
With both injuries happening during free surf sessions, the WSL Commentator’s booth will surely be lit up by the fiery opinions of whether or not WCT surfers should free surf in between events.
In a statement on the World Surf League website, WSL Deputy Commissioner Renato Hickel said, “WSL replacements numbers one and two declined their spots due to other commitments. WSL Replacements numbers three and four, Aritz Aranburu (ESP) and Garrett Parkes (AUS) accepted their spots.”
Aranburu and Parkes shook up the Round 1 heat draw quite a bit.
Most notably, Michel Bourez will now wear a blue jersey taking a middle-seed spot and surfing against Adriano de Souza and trials runner-up Bruno Santos.
Consequently, Adam Melling’s easy road to Round 3 has been struck by White Lightning as he gets bumped up to heat five to surf against Mick Fanning.
De Souza’s Round 1 reputation this season has now been gifted to the local boy, while Melling will have his work cut out for him surfing against World No. 2 and shark-slayer Fanning. Local Taumata Puhetini will also paddle out with the two aussies in heat five after winning the trials event on August 11.
Don’t count these wildcards out just yet, Puhetini won the trials for his third time, while Santos is earning his fifth wildcard spot into the main event.
Aranburu will surf against Filipe Toledo and Keanu Asing, and Parkes will paddle out with Julian Wilson and Sebastian Zietz. Between the two injury replacements, I’d say Aranburu snagged a better draw with Toledo and Asing both needing to prove themselves in heavy surf.
Will this affect your thoughts on who will win? I’m sticking to my fantasy picks, are you?
