It’s been a sh*t season on the 2023 Championship Tour.
At least, in terms of waves. There’s been plenty of drama behind-the-scenes, mostly regarding the judging controversy and WSL CEO Erik Logan’s mysterious removal, which has been thoroughly entertaining. But the waves, overall? Mediocre. At best.
Nearly every stop on Tour this season has been plagued by a premature swell, blowing its load before the contest window even begins. But with one stop left before the winner-take-all Finals Day at Lower Trestles, could Teahupo’o go out with a bang?
Let’s relive what is quite possibly the greatest heat ever surfed from Chopes in 2014.
It was a semifinal heat between John John Florence and Kelly Slater. The two went blow-for-blow with perfect and near-perfect scores. Pristine Teahupo’o pits. The pinnacle, both in terms of waves and surfers. And it ended in a draw – both Slater and JJF had a heat total of 19.77.
But, because Slater had a higher single wave total, he got the win.
Reposting the rehashed iconic moment in surf competition history, Slater wrote:
“One of my favorite heats ever. Like to do a repeat this year with @john_john_florence.”
And in the comments, folks debated the result:
“Imo John John’s second wave was the best in this heat”
“JJ Won for sure that heat! First wave was by far the best one. You guys must know that no hands it is much more difficult than being in the grab.”
“Both johns waves were 10s”
“John John was clearly better”
More judging drama. And expect it to continue when the Tour arrives in Tahiti.
The Shiseido Tahiti Pro kicks off August 11th; stay tuned.
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