Jordy Smith flies to victory in Ballito Pro
SOUTH AFRICAN surfer Jordy Smith won the Ballito Pro presented by Billabong in front of a packed beach this past weekend, defeating powerful Brazilian Willian Cardoso in a pulsating final.
This is the second time Smith has won, adding the triumph to his previous victory in 2010.
The competition took place at Willard Beach, Ballito, in KwaZulu-Natal between July 3 and 9.
Smith overcame a stomach bug which almost derailed his charge midweek to reach the final of the first World Surf League (WSL), where he used his trademark repertoire of aerial manoeuvres to post an impressive heat total 18.06, including near perfect 9.73.
“I had a bit of a slow start, but I ended up sticking that first air, and from there I was actually enjoying my surf out there and just taking my time as the waves came through.
“Eventually I got that one wave with a nice section and got one of the biggest ramps all week, and just went for it and landed it,” Smith said.
While he was disappointed not to claim the win, Cardoso was happy with his runner-up finish which bumped him up to second place on the QS rankings heading into the second half of the year.
“I knew with Jordy it was going to be crazy in that heat and I tried to find the really good waves, but I just found one. I’m just super-stoked to be in the final, it’s been about two years since I was in a final so it’s really good to be in that position again,” Cardoso said.
Crowd favourite Michael February had an incredible run through the event, posting his career-best result on his way to third place after suffering a narrow loss to Smith in their all-South African semi-final encounter.
The Capetonian matched Smith ride-for-ride in the early stages before the heat burst into life in the last five minutes with a flurry of rides that saw Smith nail down his berth in the final with back-to back excellent rides that February could not equal as time ran out.