Source :- PERTH NOW NEWS
Eight-time world champion Stephanie Gilmore, Tyler Wright and Sally Fitzgibbons were all knocked out in an opening round of Australian carnage at the Tahiti Pro, but Isabella Nichols survived a guillotine to live another day.
Only the women’s opening round was run on an inconsistent day of surfing in Teahupo’o, with no surfer able to get a two-wave total above 10 in the tricky, six- to eight-foot conditions.
Gilmore (3.90) was knocked out by Yolanda Hopkins (4.73), while Fitzgibbons (1.67) was eliminated by Anat Lelior (4.16).
Wright (4.57) lost her board attempting to get through a massive set on the way to a shock loss to 14-year-old local wildcard Kelia Gallina (5.34).
The news was better for Nichols in her battle against Vahine Fierro, but she had to earn victory the hard way.
With 16 minutes to go in her heat and still trailing her opponent, Nichols took off on a big wave and tried to sneak under the lip to snare the barrel ride.
But the heavy lip crashed right on top of the helmet-clad Nichols in an epic guillotine-style wipeout.
The jetski crew had to abandon their first rescue attempt given Nichols’ board was holding her back as the next wave in the set came through, with the 28-year-old forced to stand up on the reef and go to deeper water so the jetski could grab her the second time.
Nichols recovered from that scary situation to post a two-turn ride with seven minutes remaining in her heat, earning a score of 4.17.
Then, needing a 2.97 to hit the lead and with less than four minutes remaining, Nichols tucked into a nice barrel to snare a 4.60 score in what proved to be the winning ride.
“I feel like that heat had everything,” said Nichols, whose two-wave total of 8.77 was the highest of the day.
“You come to Teahupo’o and you’re expecting perfect, glassy barrels. Obviously today was not the case. I just never gave up.”
Nichols’ late heroics marked the fourth time this year she had posted a winning ride in the final five minutes of a heat.
It’s a new stat the WSL has dubbed the “clutch wave stat”.
“I’m making everyone grey,” Nichols joked.
Erin Brooks, Brisa Hennessy, Alyssa Spencer and Nadia Erostarbe were among the others to make it through.
Australian Molly Picklum, who earned direct entry into round two, will take on Spencer when the women’s action resumes, with Nichols up against American Sawyer Lindblad.
Gallina, who first competed at the Tahiti Pro as a 12-year-old, was shocked to defeat Wright just a day after her 14th birthday.
“This is definitely the biggest Teahupo’o I’ve ever surfed,” she said.
“I caught a pretty big wave on the head, and I’ve never gotten a wave that big on the head.”
