Wright through in Olympics surfing, Aussie judge out

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Wright through in Olympics surfing, Aussie judge out

Tyler Wright has booked an Olympics quarter-final after canny surfing in her final heat in French Polynesia.

The two-time *********** world champion spent three days on the beach before returning to the Tahitian waters on Friday (AEST), dispatching *******’s Anat Lelior 11.10 to 7.74.

Her reward is a meeting with another one-time World Surf League (WSL) winner, Caroline Marks, later on Friday.

She joins *********** men Jack Robinson and Ethan Ewing – who face each other – in the last eight, meaning at least one Aussie surfer will compete for a medal in the last eight.

However, another *********** won’t be there – judge Ben Lowe – who was removed from his duties after being pictured with Ewing.

The AP reports a commentator posted a photo of the pair, along with Ewing’s coach Bede Durbidge, on social media, prompting the International Surfing Association (ISA) to act.

“It is inappropriate for a judge to be interacting in this manner with an athlete and their team,” an ISA statement read.

Lowe, an experienced WSL judge, has been stood down in accordance with the ISA’s code of conduct and the International Olympic Committee’s code of ethics, according to the ISA.

The Teahupo’o swell calmed after two storm-affected lay days on Friday, allowing the women’s field to complete their heats.

For Wright, the wait was even longer, as the heat one winner bypassed the second heat, meaning she hadn’t competed since Monday.

The game had changed from previous heats.

In calmer surf, manoeuvring was possible and also necessary to score well, rather than bold streaks through barrels of previous days.

Wright seized the initiative from the get-go, booking an early 5.83 to claim the lead.

Her small second score – 2.67 – left the door open to challenge, so the 30-year-old took on a smaller wave with darting turns.

Unfortunately for the ***********, it carried her too close to shore, and she was left floating above the dangerous shallow reef.

As she waited for a jetski tow back to the waves, she stood up revealing the ankle-deep water which has caused many an injury.

The exercise took several minutes, freeing the surf up for Lelior to seize the initiative.

The ******** had a dip at a couple of waves in Wright’s absence, but wasn’t able to score heavily, leaving the competition poised at 8.50 to 7.74 with 10 minutes to go.

With those margins, a decent ride from either woman could have booked a quarter-final place – Lelior needed to find just 3.84 if Wright wasn’t able to improve.

However, the ***********’s class told. She held her nerve at the back of the surf and eventually found the barrel she wanted, scoring a 5.27 to close the door.

She will now face Marks at 10:12am AEST, just after the the all-Aussie men’s quarter-final at 9:36am.

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