Kelly Slater downs Joel Parkinson in the semi-finals to earn shot at Quiksilver Pro France title

America’s Kelly Slater was able to claim a victory over Australia’s Joel Parkinson in the second semi-final of Quiksilver Pro France, the seventh of ten stops on the 2012 Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Championship Tour, which went down at La Graviere in Hossegor, France, on Friday, October 5, 2012.

The reigning 11-time ASP World Champion secured his place in the final by defeating an in-form Parkinson in the semi-final.

The pulsing six-foot waves breaking at the primary event site on the latest day of the competition had proven to be both a treat as well as a challenge for the elite ASP surfers competing for coveted ASP World Tour rankings points.

Throughout the day, a huge crowd in attendance at La Graviere were treated to a series of exquisite performances, a mixture of both style and skills.

The 40-year-old Slater had been on a roll for quite some time now and comfortably made it through the talented competition line-up to eventually reach the semi-finals.

Competing against the legendary Floridian surfer in a battle for a spot in the final was Parkinson, current No.2 on the ASP World Championship Tour rankings.

As the heat kicked-off, the Australian powerhouse got down to work right away and posted a 4.10 on the score-board off his first heat, thus moving into a pretty volatile lead.

As the bout continued, Slater locked his first business-wave to unload a series of exquisite tricks, earning a 5.67 for the effort.

The American surfer followed it up with a 6.60-point ride, thus reaching a heat-total of 12.27 points.

Parkinson needed a decent score off his second business-wave to surpass his rival, but despite a desperate effort, he only managed to add another 6.83 points to his account, thus reaching a heat-total of 10.93 points.

The 1.34-point deficit caused Parkinson to succumb to Slater, sending the latter into the next round.

Despite missing out on the final, the Australian surfer had plenty of reason to feel great about an equal-third finish as it helped him replace his compatriot Mick Fanning on top of the 2012 ASP World Championship rankings.

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Posted by Muhammad Qasim Hassan on Oct 14 2012. Filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.