For a few years now, Gabriel Medina has been known as one of the ASP’s young, up-and-coming surfers.
At 20, the Brazilian is still young and ascending, and there’s a good chance he’ll end the season at the top. He’s the front-runner and one of three men still vying for the ASP world championship, which will be decided at the tour’s final stop — the Billabong Pipe Masters at Ehukai Beach, Dec. 8-20.
That event is also the final leg of the renowned Vans Triple Crown that starts with the Reef Hawaiian Pro on Wednesday (holding period through Nov. 23) at Alii Beach Park in Haleiwa.
The world’s best men’s surfers are convening on Oahu’s North Shore for the three events to cap the season at the famed breaks, which offer some of the best waves on the planet.
Aside from Medina, only Australia’s Mick Fanning, the defending world champ, and 42-year-old Kelly Slater of Florida — who, for the uninitiated, is the Babe Ruth of surfing — still have a chance to win the world title.
The exact math is out there, with many possible scenarios, but simply put, if Medina wins or places higher than the other two at Banzai Pipeline, he will win his first world title.
The only way for either Fanning, a three-time world champ, or Slater, who has captured an unprecedented and mind-boggling 11 world titles, to win it is to place high at Pipeline and hope Medina does not advance far.
Slater suffered a toe injury recently that will keep him out of the first two Triple Crown contests (which are not part of the world tour), but he is expected back for Pipe.
"Any one of the three are deserving of the world title," said Hawaii’s Sunny Garcia, a former world champ and six-time Triple Crown winner. "Gabe is surfing great this year and Mick is one of my favorite surfers out there, but I’m pulling for Kelly. He’s a great friend who I’ve known forever, since menehune days, and I’d love to see him pull it out.
"Anyone betting against Kelly in a must-win situation is stupid."
Fanning, whose chances of a successful world-title defense rose after a victory last month at the Moche Rip Curl Pro Portugal, is pumped up for the challenge.
"To be in contention going into the final event is amazing," he wrote to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser via email. "The Pipe Masters is the ultimate destination for the showdown. Coming off a win has given me plenty of confidence. Gabriel has had an amazing year and has put some great performances together out at Pipe in the past. Kelly has been ultra consistent but lacked event wins and is always the major threat in the Pipe Masters. They’re going to bring their best and so am I, but there’s also 33 other guys who will be going after the most prestigious event win in surfing. It’s going to be a crazy show."
The Vans World Cup of Surfing, Nov. 24 through Dec. 6 at Sunset Beach, is the middle contest of the Triple Crown, which is in its 32nd year.
Even though Hawaii’s John John Florence — No. 4 in the ASP rankings — is just barely out of world-title contention, he is considered one of the favorites to win the exalted Triple Crown title. Florence, now 22, became the youngest Triple Crown champion in 2011 at age 19 and won it again a year ago.
"I was bummed to see John John eliminated (from the world-title chase) in the last event, in Portugal," Garcia said. "I was praying he would have a shot coming into Pipe. … I’ll still be cheering him on at Pipe."
Garcia, 44, considers himself a spoiler in the Triple Crown.
"I’m not stressed or under duress about winning," he said. "I will do the best I possibly can, trying to keep up with the young guys. I am capable of winning and if the waves are pumping, it tilts the scale to my side."
Many other Hawaii surfers have a shot at the Triple Crown, including ASP World Tour surfers Fred Patacchia and Sebastian Zietz, the 2012 Triple Crown winner. That’s part of the beauty of it — the three contests are a mini-season in itself.
Actually, the contests are crucial for Patacchia and Zietz and many others who can seal their qualification to the top tour for 2015 with outstanding performances or end up going to a lower-tier tour — the ASP Qualifying Series — with dismal efforts.
"My mind-set going into the Triple Crown right now is just to smash it," Zietz said. "I’m super happy to be going home after about five months on the road. It really makes me appreciate where I’m from."
Zietz is pulling for Fanning to take the big enchilada.
"I feel like Fanning has the most momentum going into Pipe, but Slater would be the favorite to win there," Zietz said. "Then again, Medina won Teahupoo (contest in Tahiti) in perfect bombing conditions, so he’s definitely a big threat. Personally, I want Fanning to win. I think he’s a really good role model. He shows that it takes dedication to win a world title."
Patacchia had a real shot at winning the Triple Crown title a year ago before faltering. His game plan this year is to stay consistent in the three events.
"Haleiwa is my home break and I usually do well there," he said. "I hope to do well there again and all I’m looking for is to still have a shot going into Pipeline."
The ASP women’s world tour will also wrap up in Hawaii — at the Target Maui Pro at Honolua Bay, Nov. 22 through Dec. 6.
Hawaii’s Carissa Moore, a two-time women’s world champ, like Florence, is just barely out of contention and in fourth place in the rankings.
Three Australians — five-time world champ Stephanie Gilmore, Sally Fitzgibbons and Tyler Wright — are fighting it out in the closest women’s title race in history.
"All the girls are surfing really good, and I think the pressure is on all of us," Gilmore said in a recent YouTube video. "Sally is trying really hard to win her first world title. We’re all trying our best to get to that No. 1 position."
In another video, Fitzgibbons said, "I’ve been on tour six years now, so I’ll try to pull together all the experiences and everything I’ve learned to finish strong and hopefully in that No. 1 spot."
