The closing rounds of the 2014 Pipe Masters played out in clean, medium-sized Pipe and Backdoor waves after a whole week on hold — much of which was spent criticizing the decision not to run the contest the previous Saturday and fretting that the world title would be decided in junk conditions. To the relief of everyone there were plenty of high-scoring barrels to be had, and while it wasn’t classic Pipeline nor was it the travesty we had feared.

Kelly needed Gabriel to lose in the third round and to win the event himself if he was to win the title. Mick needed to advance at least two and perhaps three rounds further than Brazilian.

You know the story. The Brazilian contingent is nothing if not fiercely patriotic and mutually supportive, and it would be Alejo Muniz of all people who put an end to Mick’s title ambitions, having already taken down an out-of-contention Kelly Slater. Alejo would ultimately fail to requalify for next year’s tour, losing to Ace Buchan in the quarters, but he went down in a blaze of glory. The crowd went wild, Charlie launched himself into the sea, and Mick paddled over to Gabriel and embraced him, after which Gabby paddled back in to spend the first half of his quarter-final heat on the beach.

A heat which he nonetheless won, a total of 4.30 proving sufficient. He won his semi-final heat too, and who should he meet in the final but his old rival Julian Wilson. The heat followed an increasingly familiar pattern and could have gone either way, Julian coming out on top by 0.43 after the pair had gone on consecutive waves with two minutes to go.

Gabe, leading at the time with 18.00 to Julian’s 11.93, improved on his score with a 9.20, but Julian’s 9.70, his first proper back-up score, was enough to take the win. It was a classic final, and by a distance the best and highest-scoring heat of the event. Gabriel’s subsequent tears were tears of joy, and the ASP furniture escaped with only minor damage.

Gabriel Medina, 2014 ASP World Champion, take a bow son.