Barra da Tijuca and its powerful three-to-five foot (1-1.5 metre) barrels provided the ideal canvas for the world’s best surfers to push the limits of high-performance beachbreak surfing. It’s quarterfinals time and Australia is the leading nation with one surfer in each heat fighting for victory at the 2012 Billabong Pro Rio. Joel Parkinson, Mick Fanning, Julian Wilson and Josh Kerr. Adriano de Souza posted the event’s only perfect 10-point ride for a critical forehand barrel ride. De Souza went on to take a Round 5 win in a rematch of last year’s final, topping Taj Burrow, in a tough battle to advance to the Quarterfinals. “I was focused on the right, but I knew there was a little channel and I went over to the left,” De Souza said. “Luck is really going my way and I’m stoked. The waves were really hard and I’m stoked to make it through this heat.”

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Australians dominate last waves at Barra da Tijuca

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