Beyond Boarders

The 2009 professional surfing season has kicked off for both the men and the women, on Australia's Queensland, Gold Coast. And both opening events saw wins for Australian surfers.

21 year old Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), reigning two-time ASP Women's World Champion, won the Roxy Pro Gold Coast presented by LG Mobile, defeating Melanie Bartels (HAW), in the Final. Then, fellow Australian, Joel Parkinson (AUS), claimed victory in the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast, defeating fellow finalist Adriano de Souza (BRA).

I will post detailed reports and pictures for both events. The tours now move on to Bells Beach, Australia, in April.

Labels: 2009, ASP World Tour, Australia, Joel Parkinson, Stephanie Gilmore, surfing

Pauline Ado from France, has sensationally made ASP history, becoming the first non-Australian female to claim the undisputed ASP Junior World Title at North Narrabeen beach, Sydney, Australia.

The 17 year old defeated opponent Bethany Hamilton (HAW), 18, in an exciting and hard-fought final at the Billabong ASP World Junior Championships.

Labels: 2009, ASP, France, Pauline Ado, Women's World Junior Championships

Stephanie Gilmore has also finished her season with a big win in Hawaii.

Having just been crowned ASP Women's World Champion for the second time, the young Australian stormed to victory in the Billabong Pro Maui, defeating Melanie Bartels (HAW), claiming the her second consecutive win in the event at Ho'okipa Beach Park and earning her first Vans Triple Crown of Surfing (an ASP Specialty Series) Title.

Labels: ASP World Tour, Hawaii, Maui, Stephanie Gilmore

Nine-time ASP World Champion Kelly Slater (USA) finished the 2008 ASP world tour on a win, taking the big one at Oahu, Hawaii, the prestigeous Billabong Pipeline Masters. The victory is Slater's sixth of the 11 event tour, in a season that saw him top the World rankings for a record ninth time.

Top ten world rankings for 2008 finished:

• Kelly Slater (USA)


• Bede Durbidge (AUS)


• Taj Burrow (AUS)


• Joel Parkinson (AUS)


• C.J. Hobgood (USA)


• Adrian Buchan (AUS)


• Adriano de Souza (BRA)


• Mick Fanning (AUS)


• Bobby Martinez (USA)


• Jeremy Flores (FRA)

Bede Durbidge ended up pipping fellow Australian Taj Burrow to second place and fourth placed, Joel Parkinson made headlines earlier in the Pipline Masters event by scoring a perfect 20 out of 20 heat total, only the second perfect heat total in ASP history under the two wave format. Congratulations to Bobby Martinez and Jeremy Flores who both made the top ten.

Labels: 2008, ASP World Tour, Hawaii, Kelly Slater, Pipeline Masters, surfing

Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), 20, took her second consecutive ASP Women's World Title today with an emphatic win in the Roxy Pro at Sunset Beach, Hawaii, ripping through the three-to-five foot (1.5 metre) waves at Sunset Point to defeat fellow finalists Silvana Lima (BRA), 24, Jessi Miley-Dyer (AUS), 22, and Nicola Atherton (AUS), 22.

Roxy Pro at Sunset Beach turned out to be the most decisive event of year's tour, seeing shock eliminations on its final day before Gilmore soared to victory to claim the 2008 ASP Women?s World Title.

The next and final stop on the 2008 ASP Women?s World Tour will be event 8, the Billabong Pro Maui at Honolua Bay from December 8 ? 20, 2008.

Labels: 2008, ASP World Tour, Stephanie Gilmore, women's, World Champion

Australian Bede Durbidge, claimed his third ASP World Tour career win with a victory at the Hang Loose Santa Catarina Pro in Imbituba, Brazil, over France's Jeremy Flores.
The win moves Durbidge to the World No. 2 position and heading into the last event of the year in Hawaii as the defending champion, looks likely to finish the season as runner-up in the world rankings to nine-time ASP World Champion, Kelly Slater (USA).

Labels: 2008, ASP World Tour, Bede Durbidge, Brazil, surfing

Tyler Wright (AUS), 14, has made history by becoming the youngest ever winner of an ASP World Tour event. Tyler defeated Silvana Lima (BRA), 23, in the final of the Beachley Classic at Manly Beach.

Wright, who only gained entry into the Beachley Classic via the preceding trials, swept aside the best female surfers in the world, defeating reigning ASP Women's World Champion Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), 20, Jacqueline Silva (BRA), 29, and Amee Donohoe (AUS), 27, on her way to the final with Lima.

The next stop on the 2008 ASP Women?s World Tour will be the Movistar Classic Mancora Peru presented by Rip Curl from November 3 ? 8, 2008.

ASP Women's World Tour Ratings: After Event No. 5

1 ? Sofia Mulanovich (PER) 4411 points

2 ? Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 3948 points

3 ? Layne Beachley (AUS) 3698 points

4 ? Amee Donohoe (AUS) 3331 points

5 ? Silvana Lima (BRA) 3194 points

Labels: ASP World Tour, Australia, manly beach, Tyler Wright, women's