Perth, Aug 12: Australian surfer Jack Robinson has booked his place in the Outerknown Tahiti Pro quarterfinals after defeating 11-time world champion Kelly Slater at Teahupo’o.
Robinson delivered one of the strongest performances of the round, recording a two-wave total of 15.00 against Slater’s 8.46. A 9.17 ride proved decisive for the Australian, who emerged from a long barrel to take control of the heat. Slater also broke his second board of the event during the contest.
“Little Jack remembers the first heat he surfed against Kelly [Slater]. He was thirteen at Keramas. Much respect for Kelly,” Robinson said. “What a blessed day, able to surf out there and get the job done. I knew we were gonna be probably finishing the event now, so yeah, just another day to rest, get better, and get more strength. See you guys tomorrow.”
The victory sets up a quarterfinal showdown between Robinson and American Griffin Colapinto, reprising their meeting in the 2025 Tahiti Pro Final. Colapinto secured his spot after overcoming Miguel Pupo with a 16.67 heat total, the highest two-wave score of the day.
Reigning world champion Molly Picklum will also represent Australia in the quarterfinals following her victory over Alyssa Spencer. Picklum is the only surfer remaining from the Top 5 entering the event, putting her in a strong position in the World Title race. She will meet Canada’s Erin Brooks for a place in the semifinals.
Fourteen-year-old Tahitian wildcard Kelia Gallina was another standout, upsetting 2023 Tahiti Pro winner and 2024 Olympic champion Caroline Marks to advance to the quarterfinals.
“I don’t even know how I made that heat, honestly,” Gallina said. “I was just going into it wanting to get some barrels and wasn’t really thinking about making it, so I’m super stoked. After the trials, I was just thinking about surfing a heat with Tyler [Wright] and not even winning, but just trying to catch some waves out here. To keep going will be hard, but I think tomorrow is going to be a little better in terms of waves, so that will be fun. To be in the Quarterfinals here is crazy. It feels great.”
Finals Day has been placed on Yellow Alert as organisers assess conditions at Teahupo’o for the remaining quarterfinal, semifinal and final matchups.
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