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Brazil’s Gabriel Medina is holding a commanding lead in the standings. Picture: AFP Source: AFP
MICK Fanning’s surfing world championship title defence is still alive after the Australian won his opening round heat at the Pipeline Masters event in Hawaii. Fanning scored a two-wave total of 12.16 out of 20 as the season-ending event got underway in clean two-to-three metre surf on Saturday.
To defend his title Fanning will almost certainly need to win the event, with Brazil’s Gabriel Medina holding a commanding lead in the standings.
Medina made a nervy start to his bid for a maiden world title, scraping through a low-scoring heat with an 8.83 out of 20 to pip local Reef McIntosh and Australia’s Dion Atkinson.
If Medina reaches the event final at Hawaii he is assured of the title while a win in his next heat means Fanning cannot claim the crown without victory at Pipeline.
The other man in world championship contention, American great Kelly Slater, suffered a shock first-round loss to Australian Adam Melling.
Slater scored a two-wave score of 15.80 but couldn’t top Melling’s 15.90.
It means to retain any hope of taking a 12th world title, Slater must win a sudden-death second-round heat and hope both Fanning and Medina get knocked out early.
AAP