Surfing: Vaast (FRA) wins French versus French matchup in Heat #2 of quarters
The tube machine got turned back on for the second heat of the Men’s quarter finals. It was two French surfers going head to head for a chance to surf in the semis. Using his local knowledge of Teahupo’o and a deadly combo of tubes and turns, Kauli Vaast (FRA) won out over his teammate Joan Duru (FRA).
Both surfers enjoyed the best barrel rides of the day so far, spelunking salt water caverns early and often in the heat. Duru (FRA) was on the better end of the exchanges at the heat’s halfway point thanks to a 7.50. But Vaast (FRA) pulled ahead for good shortly after thanks to a flawless barrel on a medium-sized wave that he linked seamlessly with a lookback, power gouge into the lip of the closeout section. The turn was so ferocious and critical that it had announcers calling it "the turn of the contest". The result was a single wave score of 8.00 on his way to a total heat score of 15.33.