HUGE SURF SEES BELLS RING FOR FLORENCE AND CONLOGUE

COURTNEY Conlogue and John John Florence won the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach on Saturday.

After dominating their respective fields in picturesque six-to-eight foot Bells conditions, Conlogue rang the coveted Bells trophy for her third time, while Florence clinched his first Bells win.

Celebrating its 58th year running and Rip Curl’s 50th anniversary, this year’s Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach culminated in the some of the biggest conditions the event has seen since 1981.

Conlogue surfed well through the early rounds, but then came into her own on the last two days in the massive surf, standing out from the rest of the field with her committed and critical turns.

“What an event! I went from being out of rhythm with the ocean to the ocean being in the kind of rhythm I enjoy,” Conlogue said.

“I was trying to contain my ‘grom froth’ watching the waves all day. It feels incredible to get another Bell, they’re not easy to come by. Every single Bell has its own special path and journey that got me it and this one was definitely an amazing one to win.”

Conlogue defeated fellow Californian Lakey Peterson in the semifinal and went on to meet Malia Manuel in the final where she earned the year’s first perfect 10.

The win moves Conlogue from 9th to 3rd on the Jeep Leaderboard.

Also carrying an injury for the majority of the 2018 season was two-time WSL Champion Florence.

Florence returned to competition with a bang, finishing in 3rd on the Gold Coast and has now won his maiden Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach title.

Florence’s trademark power and finesse perfectly matched the huge walls of the last two days.

“It’s a surreal feeling to have won this event,” Florence said.

“Especially an event like this where we started at Winki with small waves then to how big it was yesterday and then just totally perfect today. There have been so many different faces and challenges and then surfing against Filipe (Toledo) is always pretty scary.”

In addition to the conditions, the win was not without its fierce opponents as Florence overcame two-time WSL Champion Gabriel Medina in the quarterfinals, 2017 event winner Jordy Smith in the semi-finals, and Brazilian contender Filipe Toledo in the final.

Florence’s win gives him his career’s best start to the season and he will head to the Corona Bali Protected wearing the Jeep Leader Jersey, a frightening prospect for the rest of the men’s CT. For highlights from the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach, head to WorldSurfLeague.com.

The next stop on the 2019 WSL Championship Tour will be the Corona Bali Protected. The event window will open on May 13 and run through May 25.

The event will be broadcast live online at WorldSurfLeague.com.

Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach Women’s Final Results:
1 – Courtney Conlogue (USA) 15.83
2 – Malia Manuel (HAW) 14.84

Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach Women’s Semifinal Results:
Heat 1: Courtney Conlogue (USA) 14.50 DEF. Lakey Peterson (USA) 9.67
Heat 2: Malia Manuel (HAW) 9.33 DEF. Caroline Marks (USA) 7.80

Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach Men’s Final Results:
1 – John John Florence (HAW) 14.30
2 – Filipe Toledo (BRA) 13.83

Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach Men’s Semifinal Results:
Heat 1: Filipe Toledo (BRA) 13.40 DEF. Ryan Callinan (AUS) 12.84
Heat 2: John John Florence (HAW) 16.80 DEF. Jordy Smith (ZAF) 15.24

Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach Men’s Quarterfinal Results:
Heat 1: Ryan Callinan (AUS) 12.67 DEF. Kelly Slater (USA) 5.67
Heat 2: Filipe Toledo (BRA) 14.17 DEF. Jacob Willcox (AUS) 13.06
Heat 3: John John Florence (HAW) 16.87 DEF. Gabriel Medina (BRA) 15.17
Heat 4: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 15.23 DEF. Italo Ferreira (BRA) 8.40