Surfing: Taj Goes for Gold, Jordy Bows out for Bronze

South Africa and Australia have always managed to hold a strong sporting rivalry.  From cricket, to rugby, to surfing – the competition becomes fierce as we battle it out against the Aussies.  A classic example of this opposition came up this weekend during the Semi finals of the Quikpro Gold Coast at Snapper Rocks, Queensland.  We all had high hopes for our Saffa boy, Jordy Smith, to make it far in the competition and whilst he did just that, he was unfortunately beaten and succumbed to powerhouse Aussie, Taj Burrows.  Smith, 24, came out short in the heat, scoring a total of 14.20 against Burrows’s 15.56, placing him in 3rd of the Quiksilver Pro.

Many of the surfers blamed the terrible conditions of the waves during the event.  Reports were going around stating that the waves were too small, and conditions were harsh.  In my humble opinion, the harsher the conditions, the better – Surfers need to test their skills and prove to us they can adapt and aim for big scores, despite the unfamiliar conditions.  Taj didn’t win because he’s a local, he won because he’s damn good.

Jordy has done nothing short of impressing us, with his supreme style and huge statements in the beginning of the competition, he made it to the semi finals, going further than the likes of Joel Parkingson, Mick Fanning and the king himself, Kelly Slater.

Smith said after the loss: “I’m just really bummed, I wanted to make the finals so bad.  If you want to win a world title, you’ve got to win finals.  I guess it’s a really good start to the year.”

Next stop of the ASP world tour is the Rip Curl Pro at Bells Beach, Victoria, (Aus) starting April 3rd – Watch out Aussies, we’ve got our game faces ON.

Check out the posted video of some of the highlights from the Quiksilver Pro, Gold Coast