Pipe Invitational Will Start Hawaii Finale and Determine Event Wildcards

The Billabong Pipe Masters will cap off the season to determine the 2018 Men’s World Champion and the winner of the prestigious Vans Triple Crown of the Surfing (VTCS). Only three athletes remain in contention to claim the 2018 World Title: Gabriel Medina (BRA), Julian Wilson (AUS), and Filipe Toledo (BRA).

– If Gabriel Medina finishes 1st or 2nd at the Billabong Pipe Masters, he wins the World Title;
– If Gabriel Medina finishes 3rd at the Billabong Pipe Masters, Julian Wilson and Filipe Toledo will need to finish 1st;
– If Gabriel Medina finishes 5th-25th, Julian Wilson and Filipe Toledo will need a 2nd or 1st at Pipe.

Medina, 2014 WSL Champion, comes into the final event of the 2018 season ranked first on the Jeep Leaderboard. Medina has a 4,740-point lead over his only two challengers, Wilson and Toledo, leaving him little room for error if Wilson and Toledo find their rhythm at Pipe.

“Pipe is one of my favorite events of the year,” said Medina. “It’s a tricky wave, you can get incredible waves but it’s hard to surf, very powerful and that’s why it’s so exciting to surf, you never know what it’s going to be.”

The Brazilian superstar has never won the Billabong Pipe Masters but has come in second two times in his career, falling short to Wilson in 2014 and Adriano de Souza (BRA) in 2015.

“Everyone is hard to beat, so every heat I’ll just try to do my job and not think of the other guys,” continued Medina. “Filipe and Julian started the year better than me, but I managed to get a couple of good results mid-year and it’s great to be in the race with them now. They’re the gnarliest guys at the moment and it’s exciting to surf against them for the Title. I’ve been inspired by them and we always push each other to be better.”

“I had my wife and baby with me through Europe, so when I got home after Portugal it was the first time I wasn’t chasing after lost time and I could really regroup and re-energize,” said Wilson. “Pipe is a bit like Tahiti in that you have to build yourself up to it, especially coming from a town where the waves don’t get too big. I’ve been on my dirt bikes a lot because the adrenalin is very similar to being stuck out there in big waves at Pipe.

“There’s a lot of wind on the forecast, so it’s not guaranteed we’re going to surf big waves but there’s a good chance. Medina has proven to make more heats than the rest of us out there and negotiate his way around that wave quite well. Obviously, he’s ahead of me and the one I’ve got to beat. He is the biggest threat to me not achieving my dream in this event.”

Toledo’s best result at the Billabong Pipe Masters is 5th place, but now he will need to make the Final at Pipe to even have a chance of winning his maiden World Title. This year Toledo competed in the VTCS, deciding that more time in Hawaiian waters could help his ultimate cause. So far, he was eliminated in the Quarterfinals of the Hawaiian Pro and Round 4 in the Vans World Cup. Now, his focus is on the Pipe Masters for his shot at a World Title.

“I grew up looking up to the best surfers in the world who have competed here at Pipe so it’s definitely an inspiration for me and I feel grateful to be a part of it now,” said Toledo. “It’s such a special wave, and I’m always going out thinking of what could be the wave of my life, not the worst wipeout of my life. It’s probably the most challenging wave on tour.”

Two-time WSL Champion John John Florence (HAW) has withdrawn from the Billabong Pipe Masters.

Florence will be replaced by up-and-comer Seth Moniz (HAW), who recently qualified for his first year on the 2019 CT at the Hawaiian Pro Qualifying Series event.