Melbourne Beach Native Caroline Marks Advances To Corona Open J-Bay Semifinals, Slater Eliminated
By Zach Clark // July 17, 2019
Next call: 1:30 a.m. ET on Thursday
ABOVE VIDEO: Fourteen-year old Caroline Marks’ career is already the stuff of surfing legends. At 11, this goofy-footed ‘tween was the youngest girl to make the USA Surf Team. She is also the youngest female ever to surf in a World Surfing League Women’s Pro event. (Video uploaded in 2016)
SOUTH AFRICA – Melbourne Beach native Caroline Marks made the best of her opportunities on Wednesday to advance to the semifinals in the Corona Open J-Bay in South Africa.
Marks, 17, defeated Stephanie Gilmore (Australia) 14.44 -13.10 and setting up a semifinal matchup with Carissa Moore (Hawaii).
Despite having two less waves to perform on, Marks came up big with her fourth wave after posting an 8.17 which turned out to be the difference in the heat.
Marks will face off with Moore who was on fire in her quarterfinals matchup when her two best scores combined for a 17.67. Her two best scores combined for the highest of the tournament this year. That score was helped by Moore’s third wave, when she put up an amazing run of a 9.5.
ABOVE VIDEO: Carissa Moore goes excellent with this 9.5 gem in her Quarterfinal heat at the Corona Open J-Bay!
Historically, Marks and Moore have only faced off once, which happened earlier this year, when Caroline Marks defeated Moore in the final of the 2019 Boost Mobile Pro Gold Coast tournament in Australia.
The matchup between Marks and Moore can be seen on Space Coast Daily TV.
Next call will be 1:30 a.m. ET on Thursday.
MEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP TOUR
Cocoa Beach native Kelly Slater fell short on Wednesday to Italo Ferreira (Brazil) 14.06-12.20, eliminating Slater from tournament.
Ferreira, 25, had only four waves in the heat compared to Slater’s nine waves, but it was all Ferreira needed to defeat Slater.
The win improved Ferreira’s overall record against Slater to 3-0.
With Slater eliminated from the tournament, he will turn his focus on the Tahiti Pro Teahupo’o tournament in Tahiti on August 21.
Slater has a great history in Tahiti. In May 2005, in the final heat of the Billabong Tahiti Pro contest at Teahupo’o, Slater became the first surfer ever to be awarded two perfect scores for a total 20 out of 20 points under the ASP two-wave scoring system.
Slater is currently sitting in 7th on the 2019 World Championship Tour Jeep Leaderboard with 43 competitors on the Tour.
SPACE COAST DAILY TV: The Friday Night Locker Room’s Steve Wilson talks with Caroline Marks, now 17, and in her second year on the World Surf League Women’s Championship Tour she’s the top-ranked woman in the world after winning the first event of the season. Marks was named Team USA’s Female Athlete of the Month for April. Marks was inducted in the Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame in 2016.
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