Western Australia's Jacob Wilcox made the most of his wildcard opportunity on Thursday by eliminating Gabriel Medina, the man sitting No. 3 on the Jeep Leaderboard. Wilcox's decision to ride a slightly longer board seemed to have paid off, as he navigated the burly early-morning conditions with some smooth surfing.
Wilcox didn't dominate the heat, but he surfed smart to get past Medina, who struggled to find his rhythm. - WSL / Matt Dunbar
The win will undoubtedly play a huge factor in this year's World Title race. Fortunately for Medina, however, he wasn't the only major player to go down today. In later heats Matt Wilkinson and Mick Fanning were also eliminated.