Tyler Wright :  Aquashot/aspeurope.com

 YOU GO GIRL !

Ferrolterra Movistar Pantín Classic
presented by Billabong

Cabreiroa Surfing Girls

ASP Europe 6 Star Mens event
ASP Europe 6 Star Womens event
Pantin, Spain
24 - 29 Augfust 2010

Tyler Wright Scores Perfect 10 in Round One of Cabreiroa Surfing Girls

Pantin, Spain — Tyler Wright (AUS) scored a perfect 10 and a combined heat total of 19.80 out of a possible 20 to ignite Round One of the Cabreiroa Surfing Girls. The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) sanctioned Women’s Star-Series 6-Star event ran through to complete Round One and half of Round Two in excellent 4-5ft (1.5m) waves during a fabulous afternoon session of competitive surfing at the main event site of Pantin.

Event officials were forced to place the Cabreiroa Surfing Girls on hold throughout the entire morning due to small inconsistent waves. With the arrival of the predicted swell increase and the incoming tide, athletes found themselves surfing long, peeling, over-head lefts and rights.

Incredibly hot weather brought the masses out to witness a spectacular day of women’s surfing from the strong international field which include the current top 20 ranked women of the ASP Women’s Star-Series World Rankings.

Tyler Wright (AUS) made the most of the long rights laying down the biggest turns in the most critical part of the wave to build on her scores until the halfway stage when she nailed a near perfect 9.8 out of a possible 10. In less than 5 minutes Wright hooked into another gem and went from start to finish throwing buckets of water and finishing with a fins-out final turn.

“It was really good out there and the waves just kept coming through and I think that anyone who caught the waves I got could have got a 10 easily so the conditions out there have improved so much that it is really good fun out there now. I wasn’t thinking about scores or anything when I caught that second wave, I was just out there surfing and having a lot of fun and I was lucky I guess.”

Coming off a recent early round defeat in her previous event Wright wants to get back on a roll and advance through to the final day of competition. “I didn’t do too well in the last event so I am really looking for a result here and so I want to do the best I can in the next round.”

Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) was not to be out done and despite having a poor opening heat came alive in her Round Two clash claiming an 8.17 and a 9.17 point ride with a mixture of modern power manoeuvres on the long rights.

“It was fun second time around because my first heat was terrible and I was lucky to get through so I wanted to go out and get some good waves and open up. The swell has picked up and there were waves pulsing so I was really excited to get out there and to get a couple of high scores is great.”

Always looking to improve her surfing Fitzgibbons was able to use the excellent conditions to her advantage as she pulled off some innovative progressive surfing. “I do these events to get in some good practice for the World Tour events so I try and do different combinations of turns and try things out because sometimes you can’t but today the waves were really good for the contest.”

Following in Tyler Wright’s footsteps Fitzgibbons was motivated to match her good friend’s earlier scores and impress the huge crowd watching the late afternoon action unfold. “I have been hanging out with Tyler and she had the perfect heat and I was watching thinking that I want to be out there with her and hopefully we can meet up later in the draw.”

Pauline Ado (FRA) had a magic opening heat scoring a combined total of 16.54 and then late in the afternoon advanced through to Round Three in a closely fought battle coming out on top against Alana Blanchard (HAW) for second place behind Sally Fitzgibbons.

Losing her position to Blanchard with less than 10 minutes remaining Ado came home strongly to keep her European Women’s Series title alive. Currently sitting in first place on the European rankings Ado will have to be on her toes as her three closest rivals also advanced through Round One.

“I was getting a lot of waves and some good scores and it was tough in that heat. I found the waves with a nice wall and I hope I can keep it up in the next rounds.”

Laura Enever (AUS) current nº2 on ASP Women’s Star-Series World Ranking stormed through her Round One heat and showed everyone she is in red hot form and busting with confidence after her recent win 10 days ago. Scoring several solid rides Enever finished up with a two-wave combined total of 15.34 out of a possible 20.

“There were definitely some fun waves out there and for sure the biggest waves I’ve surfed in a while so it was fun. It was almost like a point break similar to my home break at North Narabeen, Alley Rights so I was glad to get a couple of waves probably the most I’ve caught in a heat before.(laughs)”

“I’m not too nervous but coming off a win you want to do another good performance so I am trying not to think about that and just take it heat by heat and have another good contest and get a result.”

For European athletes the Cabreiroa Surfing Girls is the final stop of on the ASP European Women’s Series which is being lead by Pauline Ado (FRA) followed by Joanne Defay (FRA), Justine Dupont (FRA) and Cannelle Bulard (REU). All four surfers are within 200 points of each other meaning the title race is well and truly open leading into this final event.

A call will be made at 09:00 (local time) tomorrow Day 3 of the official waiting period for the Ferrolterra Movistar Pantin Classic Presented by Billabong and the Cabreiroa Surfing Girls.

CABREIROA SURFING GIRLS REMAINING ROUND TWO MATCHUPS
Heat 4: Rosanne Hodge (ZAF), Sage Erickson (USA), Laura Enever (AUS), Paige Hareb (NZL)
Heat 5: Sophia Mulanovich (PER), Tyler Wright (AUS), Justine Dupont (FRA), Cannelle Bulard (REU)
Heat 6: Claudia Goncalves (BRA), Freya Prumm (AUS), Bruna Schmitz (BRA), Joanne Defay (FRA)

CABREIROA SURFING GIRLS ROUND TWO RESULTS
Heat 1: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 17.34, Pauline Ado (FRA) 10.16, Alana Blanchard (HAW) 7.03, Felicity Palmateer (AUS) 3.83
Heat 2: Courtney Conlogue (USA) 11.10, Alizee Arnaud (FRA) 9.67, Bianca Buitendag (ZAF) 6.60, Lee Ann Curren (FRA) 4.70
Heat 3: Ornella Pellizzari (ARG) 10.17, Nikita Robb (ZAF) 9.56, Nicola Atherton (AUS) 7.76, Bethany Hamilton (HAW) 4.33

CABREIROA SURFING GIRLS ROUND ONE RESULTS
Heat 1: Felicity Palmateer (AUS) 14.10, Alizee Arnaud (FRA) 13.56, Suelen Naraisa (BRA) 7.97, Claire Bevilacqua (AUS) 5.30
Heat 2: Pauline Ado (FRA) 16.54, Lee Ann Curren (FRA) 8.20, Jessica Santorik (NZL) 7.50
Heat 3: Courtney Conlogue (USA) 14.26, Alana Blanchard (HAW) 11.54, Anne Cecile Le Tallec (FRA) 6.00, Erika Franco (ESP) 4.96
Heat 4: Bianca Buitendag (ZAF) 10.77, Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 9.73, Erica Hosseini (USA) 8.07, Estitxu Estremo (ESP) 6.00
Heat 5: Bethany Hamilton (HAW) 15.10, Rosanne Hodge (ZAF) 11.97, Amy Stewart (AUS) 9.60, Francisca Santos (PRT) 5.57
Heat 6: Nikita Robb (ZAF) 10.90, Sage Erickson (USA) 9.66, Amandine Sanchez (FRA) 6.50
Heat 7: Laura Enever (AUS) 15.43, Nicola Atherton (AUS) 8.53, Garazi Sanchez (EUK) 7.66, Joana Rocha (PRT) 6.50
Heat 8: Paige Hareb (NZL) 9.47, Ornella Pellizzari (ARG) 8.56, Tarryn Chudleigh (ZAF) 8.30, Mirka Martin Solar 4.74
Heat 9: Sophia Mulanovich (PER) 10.43, Claudia Goncalves (BRA) 9.84, Nage Melamed (HAW) 9.03, Carina Da Silva (PRT) 5.90
Heat 10: Tyler Wright (AUS) 19.80, Freya Prumm (AUS) 14.84, Jacqueline Silva (BRA) 12.50, Yolanda Rodriguez 3.20
Heat 11: Bruna Schmitz (BRA) 11.63, Justine Dupont (FRA) 10.23, Sarah Beardmore (GBR) 6.53, Lore Eizaguirre (EUK) 4.70
Heat 12: Joanne Defay (FRA) 14.67, Cannelle Bulard (REU) 11.16, Jessi Miley-Dyer (AUS) 10.93, Maud Lecar (FRA) 6.73

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ASP International - Dantas claims victory at ASP 6-Star Sooruz Lacanau Pro in All Brazilian Final

LACANAU, France – Wiggolly Dantas (BRA) today claimed the Sooruz Lacanau Pro title downing fellow countryman Alejo Muniz in the 35-minute final to achieve his best result of the year and his second ASP Men’s Star-Series title in a closely fought final on a day which saw epic conditions for the grand finale to the 31st edition of the Sooruz Lacanau Pro an Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) sanctioned event.

Excellent surfing conditions continued for the final day of action at the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Sooruz Lacanau Pro with clean off-shore winds and peaks in the 4-5ft (1.2m) range pumping in with the incoming tide. Event officials waited for the optimum swell window for the running of today’s heats resulting in an action packed display of futuristic power surfing for the large crowds lining the shores.

Wiggolly Dantas 20, surfed a perfectly controlled final to lead from start to finish despite the efforts of Muniz to close the gap. Starting off solidly it was not until the halfway mark that Dantas hooked onto a long peeling right to lay down a series of powerful backhand turns to snatch a 7.83 and consolidate his lead and leave his opponent searching for a reply.

“It is so amazing right now to surf against one of my best friends in the final and to win the contest and I just went out there to surf my heat and do my best and it all worked out and I am really stoked now.”

“I was thinking about the waves a bit before the final and the rights were looking better and the lefts were closing out a little bit so I tried to concentrate on the rights and in the end I made a good result. You had to wait a little for the good waves and look for the set so that is what I did”

All the Brazilian surfers were on hand to watch the finals go down and support their countrymen as they did battle in the final. Definitely a plus factor for the surfers the patriotic support added to the festivities of the Sooruz Lacanau Pro.

“It is my best result this year and it was perfect because I had a lot of friends here and everybody is together and that is amazing to have all these guys supporting each other.”

Alejo Muniz (BRA) 20, was the inform surfer during the earlier heats this morning laying down some of the biggest turns of the entire event and headed into the final as a clear favourite to take the title. Holding priority for a major part of the final Muniz was unlucky in not finding any waves to wall up down the line.

Muniz tried in vain to get back into the race and required only a modest score to turn the tables however fell short leaving Dantas with a clear road to victory. Visibly upset with the result Muniz was content with his overall second place.

“It was so hard out there and the waves were not coming to me and I tried to do my best but Wiggolly won in the end and I am happy for him. I really wanted to win this contest but I couldn’t in the end but it is still ok because my friend won so it is good for me too.”

Richard Christie (NZL) 21, finished equal 3rd his best Men’s Star-Series result to date losing out to Wiggolly Dantas in a low scoring semi-final clash. Positioning himself on the southern bank in search of the left-handers Christie failed to find any scoring rides until the dying moments of the heat where he grinded out an excellent 8.27 out of a possible 10 however to no avail.

“It is a good result for me and unfortunately I only got one good scoring wave in that heat but anyway Wiggolly deserved the win as he surfed really well that heat. I was doing the same as I have been doing the entire event going out on the south side and it has been fun but now as the tide is getting higher it got a little fatter than what I thought it was going to do so a little mistake on my part but I have learnt from it for sure.”

Pedro Henrique (BRA) pulled off the barrel of the day with a deep clean front-side tube (8.5 out of 10) to oust Marc Lacomare (FRA) in the quarter-finals however he finished equal 3rd overall failing to overtake Muniz in the semi-finals. In his first major overseas event this year Henrique is out to return to the elite Dream Tour with renewed energy thanks to a new sponsor this year.

“It was a hard heat to get a wave out there in the end,” explained Henrique. “I started with a good wave and Alejo too and then I needed to wait for a better wave but it never came. Alejo was so good in the water and he was always trying to improve his scores but I am very happy.”

Returning after a year’s absence to the Sooruz Lacanau Pro Henrique comments on his aims here in Europe and for the remainder of the season.

“Last year I couldn’t come but now I have a new sponsor and they have given me the support to try and make the WCT one more time. I am happy to be in France to do this contest and my year is just starting now so this is a nice result for me and I’m looking forward to the next ones and hopefully leave Europe up high on the rankings.”

Marc Lacomare (FRA) finished equal fifth and has furthered his lead on the European Men’s Series rankings by almost 2,000 points over Glenn Hall (IRL) at the halfway stage of the 12 event series. Coming from a victory in the beginning of August in Newquay Lacomare has continued his excellent form and heads off to Galicia, Spain for next week’s event looking to do even better.

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SOORUZ LACANAU PRO FINAL RESULT
1 – Wiggolly Dantas (BRA) 14.23
2 – Alejo Muniz (BRA) 12.70

SOORUZ LACANAU PRO SEMIFINAL RESULTS
SF 1: Alejo Muniz (BRA) 15.16 Def. Pedro Henrique (BRA) 12.00
SF 2: Wiggolly Dantas (BRA) 13.16 Def. Richard Christie (NZL) 11.27

SOORUZ LACANAU PRO QUARTERFINAL RESULTS
QF 1: Alejo Muniz (BRA) 14.33 Def. Miguel Pupo (BRA) 12.73
QF 2: Pedro Henrique (BRA) 13.77 Def. Marc Lacomare (FRA) 13.00
QF 3: Richard Christie (NZL) 12.70 Def. Jayke Sharp (AUS) 11.84
QF 4: Wiggolly Dantas (BRA) 11.5o Def. Alex Ribeiro (BRA) 8.34

ASP History

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