Surfer Kelly Slater nabbed his when he defeated wildcard Dane Reynolds in three-to-five foot waves during the final of the Quiksilver Pro France. “It has literally been 20 years,” Slater . “I had my first win here 20 years ago and that’s pretty crazy.”
The 40-year-old is on a quest to win his 12th world title. He climbed from third to second place in the overall standings with his victory, and is in the middle of a tight race with three events left to go.
The overall standings shifted after the French event. Australian Mick Fanning dropped from first to third place after he and was eliminated in round three. Hawaiian John John Florence, 19, lost in the semis in France and now sits at number four in the world. He still has a shot at the title. Australian Joel Parkinson, 31, finished third in France and moved up to number one overall.
“I can’t wait for Portugal,” Parkinson said. “It would be nice to get a
win over there as the race is shaping up to come down to the end.
Hopefully, if the waves are anything like this, it will be another
amazing event.”
QUIKSILVER PRO FRANCE FINAL RESULTS:
1. Kelly Slater (USA) 17.26
2. Dane Reynolds (USA) 14.00
QUIKSILVER PRO FRANCE SEMIFINALS RESULTS:
SF 1. Dane Reynolds (USA) 15.70 def. John John Florence (HAW) 15.60
SF 2. Kelly Slater (USA) 12.27 def. Joel Parkinson (AUS) 10.93
CURRENT ASP WCT TOP 5 (After Quiksilver Pro France):
1. Joel Parkinson (AUS) 46,200 pts
2. Kelly Slater (USA) 45,450 pts
3. Mick Fanning (AUS) 43,000
4. John John Florence (HAW) 39,150 pts
5. Taj Burrow (AUS) 31,900 pts
—Joe Spring