Well, that was a good show. On the last day of the waiting period in Western Australia Poseidon cooperated with clean, six to eight-foot walls at Margaret River’s Main Break and the region’s favorite son, Jack Robinson took out a contest he grew up watching, beating John John Florence in a high-octane final for his second tour victory. Robo’s season was just thrust into overdrive heading into G-Land at the end of May. With the win, Robinson moves up to number three in the chase to the WSL final five. John John, despite looking fantastic the entire event, remains number two behind Filipe Toledo.
“It was a long week, a long waiting period,” Robinson said after. “I only have a short time here at home and I was glad to make the most of it. I’m so happy to be home. It was so special (to do this around) family and friends, my wife, and it was really special to share a final with John. He always brings the best out of me. Hope that’s the same for him. I really respect him.”
The respect runs both ways. “So stoked to be in the final, especially against Jack,” said JJF after. “We’ve been surfing together forever. I know it’s his home break. I was a bit nervous but it was a battle.”
Isabella Nichols, who surfed brilliantly throughout the event window, managed her first tour victory in the overhead walls of Main Break against Hawaii’s Gabriel Bryan, moving into the coveted top five, just ahead of Courtney Conlogue. The win was mandatory for Nichols, who had to have the victory to stay on tour.
“This is the best feeling in the world,” Nichols said of her win. “I can’t even tell you how it feels right now. At the start of the day I was worried about making the cut. Now I’m just stoked for G-Land, Jeffreys Bay, Teahupo’o, El Salvador, it’s going to be an amazing year.”
It was a crazy event as the entire field – and the surfing audience – adjusted to the newly implemented mid-year cut. The reactions from athletes has been mixed , to put it mildly, but it certainly upped the drama, with tour stalwarts like Conner Coffin, Owen Wright, and Sally Fitzgibbons being relegated to the Challenger Series. Regardless, the tour is set when it resumes a the iconic locale, G-Land on the Indonesian island of Java, May 28-June 6.
