Style vs. Perfomance
John John Florence and Gabriel Medina, rivals in the water, have always gave a great show to the crowd. Since 2012 they have faced each other 15 times. Although the Brazilian leads the battle in the long run, things can change after 2016.
Surfing has grown to a very high standard and we are all amazed by the surf John John has always shown. All the world was just waiting the year he was going to be crowned world champion. A lot has been said about his performance and he has the second best average heat score (AHS) on waves during the last 4 years (an amazing 14.59 standard). The surfer above him is Kelly Slater (14.79 AHS). Scoring high tells a lot about the surfer's style and progression, no doubt about it.
Gabriel Medina, on the other side, has the second best winning percentage with 65.90% wins in heats. Mick Fanning is the only surfer with higher score, a really close result (66.07%).
The numbers speak for themselves, the great style of JJF against the amazing performance and strategies of Medina. Watching their battle is always an spectacle, and for sure, diving into their numbers is amazing. Here below we have their matchups, the wins and the average heat score (AHS) through the years.
Analyzing the numbers of JJF and Medina in those 15 heats is really curious. Medina has the overall average heat score of 14.46, against 12.84 of Florence. For sure Medina leads the AHS number, he has more victories so far and JJF surfs really below his career AHS.
In the 11 heats that Medina won, he had an average score of 15.31. While John John has an amazing average score of 17.51 in the 4 heats he won. When John John wins the battle, normally is with a very high score.
John John has strived to deliver consistency over the years, it was in 2016 that he started to impose solid wins. The numbers will change for sure, this was the unique year, since 2012 that John John has won more heats against Medina. For sure that semifinal at Teahupoo was a key victory.
The scenario will change as the surfers progress in their careers. John John has improved a lot his winning percentage in 2016 and if he continues to deliver results at this level, we might see a shift in this battle. Numbers tell a lot about the way both athletes surf. The battle of style against performance will continue through the years.
