Jack Robinson’s third-place loss at Trestles marked by call to throw off ‘big wave’ stigma

Jack Robinson came unstuck in the semifinal of the World Surf League final at Trestles in California on Friday in a result still heralded as a victory by many.

Robinson said he was aiming to cast off the label as a mere “big-wave surfer” before going into the event which was won in a rapid-fire contest by Brazil’s Filipe Toledo in his maiden Championship Tour win.

Australian Stephanie Gilmore won the women’s contest in her eighth WSL world title, criticised for some because she missed some of the bigger contests.

Robinson’s close-but-no-cigar semifinal loss saw him bumped from world No.2 to third position as the WSL professional circuit comes to a close for the year.

Robinson went into the finals as the top-ranked Australian in the five-man field, one place ahead of Queenslander Ethan Ewing.

Australia hadn’t had a men’s world champion in nine years, since three-time champion Mick Fanning last held the honour, with Brazilian surfers dominating with five of the last seven titles.

Robinson made a name for himself as a pre-teen surfing Hawaii’s famous Pipeline and at the time was dubbed the next Kelly Slater.

Winning at his home break Margaret River and also at G-Land in Indonesia, the 24-year-old was considered a power surfer who flourishes in heavy swell.

The contest at Lower Trestles instead yielded much smaller conditions.

Hosting the finals for the second straight year, Trestles was described as an “all-round fun” classic reef break — hardly the heart-stopping barrels of Teahupo’o which was the tour’s last stop.

But Robinson said he wanted to be considered more than just a big-wave surfer.

“People always talk about that and I think it’s because I grew up in those kinds of waves and when people first saw me I was always surfing those kind of waves. It kind of captivates everyone,” Robinson said.

“I might have not been as good as a kid (in smaller waves), but then you work on it so much because you can’t stay on tour otherwise.

“You’ve got to be good at everything and I’m feeling good, I’m always working on something.”

Robinson said he spent up to eight hours a day in the water to prepare for the workload.

He lost against Brazil’s Italo Ferreira.

While the pair posted similar good-quality starting waves, Robinson’s second effort scored 4.60 out of 10 failed to match the Brazilian’s 7.33.