Slater continued on to surf a near perfect heat in each round of his path through to the final, narrowly defeating defending champion C.J. Hobgood (USA) in the quarters, and then posting a convincing win over Taj Burrow (Yallingup, W.A.) in the semi-finals.
"Bruce got a big lead on me early, and then I got that ten and I went, ‘I can win this contest’," said Slater. "You know that wave just basically inspired me all day. This is definitely one of those moments; one of the most magical days of my career for sure."
For Hobgood, it was a bitter ending after looking like the only one capable of conquering the seemingly unstoppable run of Slater. Amassing two perfect tens of his own throughout the Billabong Pro Tahiti tournament, the 25-year-old flew past dangerous opponents Kalani Robb (HAW) in round four, Fredrick Patacchia Jnr (HAW) in the quarters’ and Hedge in the semi final.
While it was ultimately a severe shoulder dislocation that stopped his dream of standing atop the Billabong Pro podium as victor, that lofty aspiration could only have been achieved as co-event champion, when and if he could have matched Slater’s perfect 20 point score.
Hobgood’s second place finish lifts him to equal second position on the ASP WCT ratings after three events, alongside reigning world champion Andy Irons (HAW).
For Hedge, today's semi-final finish cemented his status as a revered Teahupoo charger. After narrowly defeating current ASP ratings leader Trent Munro in the Australian pair’s quarter final, Hedge could do little to overcome Hobgood in the following semi-finals, scoring a combined two-wave total of 16.87, as opposed to his opponent’s impeccable 18.33.
After breaking his board midway through the crucial clash, Hedge had to settle for equal third as Hobgood continued to thread his way through the warping Teahupoo west bowl and into the final.
West Australian surfer Taj Burrow again proved his worth as a Teahupoo charger with his semi-final finishing equal third today. It was the second time Slater has gotten the better of the 26-year-old, after defeating him in the final to win the Billabong Pro Tahiti in 2003.
Burrow's combined two wave score of 13.40 was not enough to match the rampaging Slater, who piled on two near-perfect nine point rides to finish with a 19.73 out of a possible 20.
Hawaiia’s Foster’s Men’s World Tour rookie Fred Patacchia looked completely at home at Teahupoo, using his intimate barrel riding skills honed on the powerful Hawaiian reef breaks to thread his way through to a quarter final, and equal fifth place.
Brazilian surfer Paulo Moura, who had the South American continent on standstill after a fanatical 10 point ride in yesterday's competition, again proved himself as one of Brazil’s best big wave surfers finishing 5th in the Billabong Pro Tahiti 2005. The lithe goofy footer charged through the fourth round this morning over Australian Tom Whittaker, but could not match the barrel riding skills and relentless perseverance of Hedge in the quarter-finals.
Reigning world surfing champion Andy Irons uncharacteristically failed to find his rhythm and was eliminated in round four by Australian Dean Morrison (Gold Coast). Morrison was forced to settle for an equal fifth placing after losing to Burrow in the quarter-finals.
As the world’s spotlight turned on Teahupoo for a marathon month of surfing, the reef break turned on the full range of elements from perfect spitting barrels to heart thumping 6m mountains, to the on-shore rain drenched days of unsurfable slop.
The action commenced late April with the Air Tahiti Nui/Von Zipper Trials staged in the best conditions of the tournaments five-year history, waves varying from epic 3 metre slabs to perfect two metre barrels. Tahitian big wave surfing legend Manoa Drollet emerged victorious over a world-class field of trialists.
Then, in what is now regarded as one of the most momentous surfing sessions ever, Teahupoo pulsed at its powerful best for two solid days with giant 6m waves offering ideal tow-in surfing conditions for the world’s top ranked and best big wave surfers.
The world's top 17 female surfers battled testing Teahupoo waves for two days with Australia's Chelsea Georgeson claiming the Billabong Girls Pro Tahiti title. Then after a rain drenched 2 weeks of waiting for waves, Teahupoo turned on once again, on queue, throwing epic waves at the top Foster’s Top 45 men's surfers for the final four days of the Billabong Pro Tahiti waiting period. The job is done!
