As the start of the 2022 Championship Tour season gets set to kick off with the Billabong Pro Pipeline, we're counting down the most memorable championship moments from the past 10 years.
On a warm Saturday night in December there was no shortage of victory parties on the North Shore after a pumping and perfect Finals Day at the 2013 Billabong Pipe Masters resulted in the season's prize being split three ways -- a World Champion, a Pipe champion and a Triple Crown winner.
With the action buoyed by a frenzied crowd on the beach, Kelly Slater had seized his seventh Pipe Masters victory by besting generational rival John John Florence, while Mick Fanning secured his third World Title.
Kelly Slater wins the 2013 Billabong Pipe Masters over Vans Triple Crown winner John John Florence.
"Last year, someone asked me what excited me in the end years of my career and I said I would like to surf a Final at Pipe against John John so that's pretty special today," Slater explained at the time.
"To win is even better," he quickly added.
Slater and Florence had been on a collision course from the event's onset, but before their showdown in the Final, the 2013 World Title still had to be decided. That moment came when Australia's Mick Fanning edged out countryman Yadin Nicol in the Quarterfinals by a tenth of a point to claim his third World Title.Â
In the Semis, Fanning fizzled while Florence soared. And then in the next heat, Slater went near-perfect with a 19.63 heat score to take Joel Parkinson out of the event. That ushered in the Florence/Slater Final.Â
Mick Fanning in complete control during his third World Championship run at the 2013 Billabong Pipe Masters. - WSL / Kirstin Scholtz
Florence drew first blood in the Final, putting an 8.50 on the board on his second wave, then backing it up with a 7.40 to put the pressure on Slater early in the duel. Unfazed, after a series of throwaway scores, the GOAT went near-perfect again, posting a 9.87 for a massive keg. He backed it up with a 6.50 on the next wave and sealed the deal.
It was Slater's seventh and final Pipe Masters win -- a record that stands to this day -- and for the 21-year-old Florence, his consolation prize was his second Vans Triple Crown title.
"Today was one of the most special days in my life," Slater explained. "It's a day I have dreamed about since I was a little kid -- big, perfect, West-angled Pipeline and a showdown at the Pipe Masters.
Almost a decade later, Slater's still on Tour, still searching for another magic day at Pipe like that one he shared with Florence back in 2013. Turning 50 years old next month, Slater shows no signs of slowing as he's finished third in his last two appearances at Pipe. And as he's proved time and again, anything is possible out at Pipe.
For the 21-year-old Florence, his consolation prize was his second Vans Triple Crown title. - WSL / Terry Houston
Read More:
The waiting period for the Billabong Pro Pipeline gets underway on January 29. Keep it locked right here at WorldSurfLeague.com for the latest news and info as we countdown the start of the 2022 Championship Tour.
The Pipeline Top 10: Slater Stakes His Claim As Pipe's Greatest
Jake Howard
As the start of the 2022 Championship Tour season gets set to kick off with the Billabong Pro Pipeline, we're counting down the most memorable championship moments from the past 10 years.
On a warm Saturday night in December there was no shortage of victory parties on the North Shore after a pumping and perfect Finals Day at the 2013 Billabong Pipe Masters resulted in the season's prize being split three ways -- a World Champion, a Pipe champion and a Triple Crown winner.
With the action buoyed by a frenzied crowd on the beach, Kelly Slater had seized his seventh Pipe Masters victory by besting generational rival John John Florence, while Mick Fanning secured his third World Title.
"Last year, someone asked me what excited me in the end years of my career and I said I would like to surf a Final at Pipe against John John so that's pretty special today," Slater explained at the time.
"To win is even better," he quickly added.
Slater and Florence had been on a collision course from the event's onset, but before their showdown in the Final, the 2013 World Title still had to be decided. That moment came when Australia's Mick Fanning edged out countryman Yadin Nicol in the Quarterfinals by a tenth of a point to claim his third World Title.Â
In the Semis, Fanning fizzled while Florence soared. And then in the next heat, Slater went near-perfect with a 19.63 heat score to take Joel Parkinson out of the event. That ushered in the Florence/Slater Final.Â
Florence drew first blood in the Final, putting an 8.50 on the board on his second wave, then backing it up with a 7.40 to put the pressure on Slater early in the duel. Unfazed, after a series of throwaway scores, the GOAT went near-perfect again, posting a 9.87 for a massive keg. He backed it up with a 6.50 on the next wave and sealed the deal.
It was Slater's seventh and final Pipe Masters win -- a record that stands to this day -- and for the 21-year-old Florence, his consolation prize was his second Vans Triple Crown title.
"Today was one of the most special days in my life," Slater explained. "It's a day I have dreamed about since I was a little kid -- big, perfect, West-angled Pipeline and a showdown at the Pipe Masters.
Almost a decade later, Slater's still on Tour, still searching for another magic day at Pipe like that one he shared with Florence back in 2013. Turning 50 years old next month, Slater shows no signs of slowing as he's finished third in his last two appearances at Pipe. And as he's proved time and again, anything is possible out at Pipe.
Read More:
The waiting period for the Billabong Pro Pipeline gets underway on January 29. Keep it locked right here at WorldSurfLeague.com for the latest news and info as we countdown the start of the 2022 Championship Tour.
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