Gabriel Farias Wins WRV Outer Banks Pro Presented by Pacifico
Brazilian captures maiden QS1,000 win after entrants score some of the best waves they'd ever seen in competition.
- Published:September 1, 2017
- Views:1,510
More than one surfer who arrived in Dare County this week to compete in the WRV Outer Banks Pro presented by Pacifico called yesterday, “the best waves I’ve ever surfed in a contest,” or some variation on that claim. Nonstop, offshore, overhead, spitting tubes at Jennette’s Pier, in Nags Head, NC (and every spot for dozens of miles north or south, really) were the result of Potential Tropical Cyclone 10 (apparently, that’s what we’re calling wanna-be hurricanes now) making sweet love to freshly lain summertime beach nourishment. Just in time for North Carolina’s only Qualifying Series event.
“Everyone was in town for the OBX Pro, and it was rad that the Brazilians, Californians and Australians got a proper sample of what the East Coast can dish out,” said Ocean City, NJ, pro Rob Kelly. “The second day of the event has to go down as one of the best days of competition on the East Coast. The whole week was just epic.”
Today? Not so much. And while the windy, three-foot leftovers felt anticlimactic compared to Thursday’s barreling bonanza, sentimental local favorite Stevie Pittman had everyone’s attention right up until the last five
minutes of the man-on-man Final; after all, he had a healthy lead. Would he become the first North Carolina surfer to win this event since Ben Bourgeois?
Nope. In the end, it was Brazilian flare-up Gabriel Farias’ day, who scored a 9.0 for a frontside alley-oop to shift the momentum in his direction.
“I don’t even know what to think, that was my first Final and first win, so I’m just beyond stoked,” Farias said. “I had a rough go in Virginia and just knew I had to win this one, and thank God the waves always kept coming to me to go for those airs. All the heats before that Final I landed my first air, but when I didn’t in the Final I was so bummed. But then I landed that alley-oop, and my friends on the beach were keeping me updated with signals, so I got excited to move into 1st after that. I had priority the last five minutes and knew I had to stay close to Stevie, because he’s such a great surfer. I can’t believe I won this event.”
Farias immediately backed that 9.0 up with a 6.23 to put the Newport, NC, sensation on the ropes, requiring a 9.23.
“It feels good to make it to the Final after getting barreled all day yesterday, that was just a dream, and today was still pretty fun,” Pittman said. “Gabriel [Farias] was ripping all day long, and he landed that alley-oop, which was hard to come back from.”
WRV Outer Banks Pro QS1,000 Finals Results:
1. Gabriel Farias (BRA), 15.23, 1,000 points, $2,500
2. Stevie Pittman (USA), 11.67, 750 points, $1,500
WRV Outer Banks Pro QS1,000 Semifinal Results:
SF 1: Gabriel Farias (BRA) 13.60 def. Tommy Coleman (USA) 10.66
SF 2: Stevie Pittman (USA) 15.26 def. Facundo Arreyes (ARG) 11.90
WRV Outer Banks Pro QS1,000 Upcoming Quarterfinal Results:
QF 1: Tommy Coleman (USA) 12.23 def. Gabriel Morvil (USA) 10.53
QF 2: Gabriel Farias (BRA) 14.54 def. Tomas King (CRI) 10.76
QF 3: Stevie Pittman (USA) 12.77 def. Dustin Richardson (USA) 8.33
QF 4: Facundo Arreyes (ARG) 14.33 def. Chris Michalak (AUS) 11.17
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Today? Not so much. And while the windy, three-foot leftovers felt anticlimactic compared to Thursday’s barreling bonanza, sentimental local favorite Stevie Pittman had everyone’s attention right up until the last five
minutes of the man-on-man Final; after all, he had a healthy lead. Would he become the first North Carolina surfer to win this event since Ben Bourgeois?
Nope. In the end, it was Brazilian flare-up Gabriel Farias’ day, who scored a 9.0 for a frontside alley-oop to shift the momentum in his direction.
“I don’t even know what to think, that was my first Final and first win, so I’m just beyond stoked,” Farias said. “I had a rough go in Virginia and just knew I had to win this one, and thank God the waves always kept coming to me to go for those airs. All the heats before that Final I landed my first air, but when I didn’t in the Final I was so bummed. But then I landed that alley-oop, and my friends on the beach were keeping me updated with signals, so I got excited to move into 1st after that. I had priority the last five minutes and knew I had to stay close to Stevie, because he’s such a great surfer. I can’t believe I won this event.”
Farias immediately backed that 9.0 up with a 6.23 to put the Newport, NC, sensation on the ropes, requiring a 9.23.
“It feels good to make it to the Final after getting barreled all day yesterday, that was just a dream, and today was still pretty fun,” Pittman said. “Gabriel [Farias] was ripping all day long, and he landed that alley-oop, which was hard to come back from.”
WRV Outer Banks Pro QS1,000 Finals Results:
1. Gabriel Farias (BRA), 15.23, 1,000 points, $2,500
2. Stevie Pittman (USA), 11.67, 750 points, $1,500
WRV Outer Banks Pro QS1,000 Semifinal Results:
SF 1: Gabriel Farias (BRA) 13.60 def. Tommy Coleman (USA) 10.66
SF 2: Stevie Pittman (USA) 15.26 def. Facundo Arreyes (ARG) 11.90
WRV Outer Banks Pro QS1,000 Upcoming Quarterfinal Results:
QF 1: Tommy Coleman (USA) 12.23 def. Gabriel Morvil (USA) 10.53
QF 2: Gabriel Farias (BRA) 14.54 def. Tomas King (CRI) 10.76
QF 3: Stevie Pittman (USA) 12.77 def. Dustin Richardson (USA) 8.33
QF 4: Facundo Arreyes (ARG) 14.33 def. Chris Michalak (AUS) 11.17
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