Olympic surf duo off to strong start at Cloudbreak

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Olympic surf duo off to strong start at Cloudbreak

Jack Robinson and Ethan Ewing have skipped the elimination round with heat victories in the Fiji Pro as they look to lock down a spot in the World Surf League Finals.

After two lay days, surfing in the last regular tour stop got under way at Cloudbreak, with the men’s competition hitting the water on Thursday morning.

Only the top five men and top five women will qualify for the WSL Finals at Lower Trestles in California next month, with top-ranked John John Florence the only male to have cemented his place.

Paris silver medallist Robinson is ranked third while fellow Olympian Ewing is fifth, with a number of surfers within reach of his spot.

Robinson took out Queenslander Ewing in a high-quality quarter-final in the Olympic competition in Teahupo’o earlier this month.

But the Australians gave themselves every chance of holding their positions with heat wins to move directly into the round of 16.

West *********** Robinson posted a two-wave score of 11.00 to edge compatriot Ryan Callinan on 10.83, with both avoiding the sudden-****** round.

Ewing demonstrated his consistency in his heat, with his best scores of 6.17 and 5.87 giving him the win over ********* Cole Houshmand, with Seth Moniz going into elimination.

Fellow Hawaiian Florence had a comfortable heat win, but retiring legend Kelly Slater finished last in his heat and must survive the cut next round to keep alive his hopes of a fifth title at Cloudbreak.

In the women’s field, only world No.1 Caitlin Simmers has booked a start in the one-day, winner-take-all showdown in California.

Caroline Marks and Brisa Hennessy are well-placed, while *********** Molly Picklum is fourth and needs a solid result in Fiji to hold off the chasing pack.

The current event marks the first Championship Tour stop in Fiji since 2017.

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