The year of the underdog continues as Johanne Defay takes her first ever tour win, and Courtney Conlogue seizes the rankings lead from Carissa Moore.
Finals day at the Vans US Open of Surfing delivered more of the same gutless waist-high waves we’ve seen throughout the event. The measly conditions did little to curb the enthusiasm of the crowd at surf city, who filled the Huntington Beach pier to braking point and manned the shoreline in earnest. The sun was shining and scantily clad teens were out en mass.
Semi-final number one saw Johanne Defay, representing France, come up against her good buddy Bianca Buitendag of South Africa. Camaraderie and competitiveness were displayed in equal measure, as is often the case when these two match up. The commentators reminded us of Defay’s playful fighting words back in Fiji – ‘you ready to get smoked?’ – she asked Buitendag when they came up against one another in June.
Their exchange at Huntington Beach got started swiftly; with both girls snagging one of their top two rides in the first couple of minutes. Unfortunately that was the bulk of the action, and a very slow heat followed. Defay managed to scrape through to the finals by a sliver, winning by 0.1 of a point. Buitendag tackled Defay from her board in a congratulatory cuddle at the hooter’s sound.
In semi-final number two Sally Fitzgibbon’s took on local girl Courtney Conlogue. With both competitors nursing injuries, it was a battle of the battlers. Although Conlogue was surfing in her own backyard, it seemed Fitzgibbon’s was a tad more intuitive this time around. She moved down the beach early on in search of a southern, high tide peak, and found her rhythm quickly. Conlogue’s first wave came at the 15-minute mark. It looked to be a frustrating heat for the determined Californian, with the high tide noticeably quelling the already tiny swell. Fitzgibbon’s kept her composure and sailed through to her second consecutive final.
Although Conlogue got ousted, it was a triumphant event for her overall. In Friday’s quarterfinal, we saw a shuffle of names on the rankings ladder. Carissa Moore lost to Bianca Buitendag, while Conlogue bagged a win against Malia Manuel. Conlogue thus finds herself current world number one, booting Moore down to second. In waves of such insignificance, it was hard to believe the event could actually carry weight for the girls in world title contention, but it did.
Meanwhile, Johanne Defay came up against Sally Fitzgibbon’s in her first ever final, and again it was a close match. It began sleepily, with the girl’s struggling to gain momentum on the fat, fizzling waves. Defay got the ball rolling when she nabbed a slightly larger left-hander and showed off her quality backhand game. Sally Fitz looked to be on a comeback mission though, when she pulled off an effortless reverse in the foam section and followed up with a two-turn combo. Then with only three and a half minutes on the clock Defay found her final wave, making the inside connection before smacking the lip on the close out. She scraped ahead by just a few points to take her first win on the championship tour. By no means a small feat, Defay went home with an extra 60 grand in her pocket and now finds herself in the top 10.
Where to from here? In her post-heat interview on Friday a wide-eyed Conlogue confided, “I’ve worked my whole life for this moment.” The title is suddenly a very real and tangible thing for her, but has she peaked too early? As she said later, “I think I’ve now got a massive target on my back.” Who will smoke who and who will get smoked? Only time will tell.
Recap: Heat Analyser
