Surfing: Jack Robinson (AUS) wins semi-final heat, will surf for goldÂ
Australian Jack Robinson found the best barrel of the day so far and is now headed for the finals. The worst Robinson (AUS) can do is a silver medal.Â
Heat #2 of the Men’s semis pitted Robinson (AUS) against Brazil’s Gabriel Medina. Medina (BRA) took the early lead with a 6.3. It was one of the biggest waves of the morning and he surfed it with marked precision, flowing a carving top turn into a radical, fins-free snap into the close-out section. That was it, however, for the 3x World Champion. He never caught another scoring wave.Â
Robinson (AUS), on the other hand, stayed active in the lineup and caught several waves, including the aforementioned barrel. The tube time earned him a heat best wave score of 7.83 and he knew it- snapping his fingers with stoke after exiting the barrel and before banging a big lip bash into the closeout section, his board free falling to the bottom of the wave before riding away cleanly. His first wave score, a 4.5, proved to be his second best ride, giving him a heat total of 12.33.
Robinson (AUS) will surf against Kauli Vaast of France in the Men’s final later today.