Injury blow for Christie

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

A NASTY gash to his left leg brought Ricardo Christie's heat to a gutting end at the final Championship Tour contest of the year in Hawaii this morning.

The Gisborne-Mahia surfer suffered the injury four minutes from the end of his elimination heat at the Billabong Pipe Masters at Oahu's Banzai Pipeline.

Christie, sitting third in the three-man heat, came off a wave and as he fell into the ocean his leg hit a fin on his board.

He paddled gingerly back to shore while World Surf League footage showed the impact of the fin just below his knee and his reaction.

Christie was immediately attended to by medical staff onshore.

The seeding heat was won by Filepe Toledo with a score of 11.93 (5.83, 6.10) from fellow Brazilian Deivid Silva on 6.07 (3.30, 2.77) and Christie on 4.10 (1.57, 2.53).

Christie's injury was made all the more frustrating in that he would have only needed a 3.55 wave to advance.

Christie, if able to continue, faces a two-man elimination heat — a must-win or his season is over.

He went into Pipeline ranked 33rd. The top 22 after this contest retain their places for the 2020 CT.

Several surfers, including fourth-ranked Toledo, are in the hunt to win the world title.

Brazil's Italo Ferreira leads the standings from fellow countryman Gabriel Medina and South African Jordy Smith.

The Pipeline is also the final contest of surfing's Triple Crown led by Australian Ethan Ewing.