The most successful surfer in Brazilian history has been sanctioned previously for criticising WSL judges and didn’t miss after his latest defeat – beaten by Houshmand’s 7.47 score on the last wave of their heat,one Medina had priority for but did not paddle.
Needing a 6.98 to advance,Houshmand took the smaller wave and nailed it in the judges’ view,trumping the Brazilian 14.27 to 13.77,spraying Medina with his last carving turn and prompting a withering assessment afterwards.
“I made the mistake?” a bemused Medina responded when quizzed on letting Houshmand have the wave on the WSL’s broadcast.
“This is funny. This is the worst judging I have ever seen. It’s bad for the sport. I’ve been through a lot of judging things,but maybe this is the worst one.
“It’s something we’ve gotta talk about. It’s happening. It’s bad for the sport. I just hope they can improve and get better. Hopefully they listen more to us.
“They gave the best score of the heat to the last wave,which was pretty small;I didn’t even paddle. I’m just going to focus on my surfing,but this is sad. So much travelling,so much on the line,we train a lot … I just feel bad. It sucks.”