News & Events Kirstin / ASP
The World Title Comes to Pipe As stop number nine of ten on the 2013 Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Championship Tour (WCT), the Rip Curl Pro Portugal officially sent the 2013 ASP World Title Race to be decided in Hawai`i at the Triple Crown of Surfing events. The two contenders left to battle it out at the Banzai Pipeline: Mick Fanning and Kelly Slater. In Portugal, all eyes were on Mick Fanning, who needed to make the semis to accumulate sufficient points to take the crown before the season-ending event in December at the Pipe Masters. His only remaining challenger, 11-time champion Kelly Slater, was eliminated in the second round. However, Slater still has enough points stored up to take the title with a win at Pipeline. Kirstin / ASP
Kai Otton
The elimination of Joel Parkinson from the semi-finals, Jordy Smith in the quarter-finals and Taj Burrow from Round Five put an end to all their chances of claiming the 2013 ASP World Title, and left it as a two-horse race between Fanning and Slater. Kai Otton won the event and is now seventh on the ASP WCT Rankings following the victory. He has been one of the most consistent surfers in 2013.
Cestari / ASP
Cestari / ASP
Kirstin / ASP
Nat Young
Gabriel Medina
Mick Fanning
Mick Fanning Wins Quiksilver Pro France Australia’s Mick Fanning dominated the Quiksilver Pro France in an action-packed final over Brazil’s Gabriel Medina in early October. With three- to four-foot waves at the backup venue of Le Penon in Seignosse, this was stop number eight of ten on the ASP World Championship Tour. The Quiksilver Pro France dealt with a difficult forecast to showcase the world’s best surfers in quality waves over the two iconic spots of La Graviere and Le Penon. Mick Fanning nailed a historic fourth win at the event, making him the most decorated surfer of The Quicksilver Pro France’s 12-year history. This result marks the first event win for Fanning this season and cements him in the pole position on the rankings. “I’m pretty emotional, I never really got into rhythm until this morning so it feels great,” an ecstatic Fanning stated. “It just feels so good. Gabi is such an incredible kid, even with 20 seconds to go I was still under pressure. It just feels so good.” Fanning consecutively out-surfed Hawaiian phenomenon John John Florence and Joel Parkinson on his way to the final, where he found himself backed up against the wall with Medina in the lead. The two-time World Champion held to his game plan and attacked a bumpy right-hander with all his power to clinch an excellent 8.83 and steal the show. “Conditions deteriorated towards the end, but I was a little lucky with that last wave I guess. Gabriel and Filipe have just been going so big, I just thought I’d stick to my game and it sort of paid off towards the end,” Fanning continued. “I watched them flipping around in the air, they have no fear and go so high it’s incredible, I wish I could start again with new ankles and try to do some airs like that.”