Australian surfers have made a solid start to the season-opening World Surf League event in Hawaii, with three-time world champion Gabriel Medina making a winning return.
The women's competition on Oahu Pipeline, spearheaded by defending world champion Stephanie Gilmore, was put on hold with seven Australian men led by world No.3 Jack Robinson in action in round one of the tour's Billabong Pro on Wednesday.
All seven finished in the top two of their three-surfer heats to successfully bypass the elimination round, which was held later in the day.
In inconsistent conditions, West Australian Robinson looked headed for a win but Hawaiian Ezekiel Lau found a wave with 1 minute 30 seconds left on the clock in the 30-minute heat.
Making his return to the Championship Tour, Lau threaded a neat barrel and got the finish to score 7.17 and pip Robinson for the overall win by 0.04,while Brazilian Jadson Andre, surfing in a knee-brace after an injury in training, went into elimination.
Ethan Ewing, ranked world No.4, was starved of waves in his heat against fellow Australian Liam O'Brien and American Kolohe Andino.
Only managing three scores, Ewing won the heat with a best two-wave figure of 6.20, with O'Brien also advancing.
Queenslander Ewing said he had to change his heat plan, initially planning an all-out attack.
"I wanted to roll the dice and catch a lot of waves but I got out there and it was really slow and I had to wait for a decent wave, which didn't really come through," the 24-year-old said.
"It feels good to get a heat win even when you're not at your best.
"I'm really excited to do better than last season; I've learnt a lot."
Of the other Australians, Jackson Baker finished just behind reigning world champion Brazil's Felipe Toledo, while Connor O'Leary was also second.
Ryan Callinan, who missed last year's Pipeline competition with a broken wrist, beat compatriot Callum Robson with both skipping the sudden-death round.
Defending champion American veteran Kelly Slater was second in his heat behind Brazilian Caio Ibelli.
All eyes were on the final heat with Brazil's triple world champion Medina, who missed much of last year's tour with depression and a knee issue, up against local John John Florence, the two-time title-holder whose 2022 season was also ruined by a knee injury.
The pair squared off in the 2021 Pipeline final, won by Hawaiian Florence.
Medina, 29, pulled a disappearing act five minutes into the heat with a long-barrel ride at Backdoor to post a score of 7.67.
Home hope Florence's best wave of the heat was a 6.33, trailing Medina's overall score by 0.84 with Italian Leo Fioravanti off the pace.
