Adriano de Souza downs Joan Duru to claim ASP 6-Star Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay
Brazil’s Adriano de Souza took out the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) 6-Star Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay 2012 after getting the better of France’s Joan Duru in the Final that went down at Jeffreys Bay in South Africa on Friday, July 13.
Both the surfers had been exhibiting a solid form since the very first day of the competition. The competition field had comprised of top surfing talents from around the world and the surfing conditions on hand were nothing to rejoice over, but that was
not enough to keep the two surfers at bay.
De Souza, current No.4 on the ASP World Title Championship rankings, had established himself as a force to be reckoned with for quite some time now, but facing the Brazilian powerhouse in his own backyard definitely tended to make him even more intimidating.
He was quite familiar with the waves and thus was able to formulate more effective strategies to ensure victory in his battles.
Duru, on the other hand, may not have been as familiar with the conditions on hand as his rival, but his solid run over the last few days made it apparent that he had adapted exceptionally well on the waves at Jeffreys Bay.
As De Souza and Duru met each other in the Final, they clearly had their work cut out for them. Even though the sea was regularly offering potent scoring opportunities, the surfers definitely had to work hard to get hold of them.
The Brazilian powerhouse got off to a solid start and opened his account with an impressive 7.67-point ride. After going through a series of average scores and breaking his board in the process, he went on to add an additional 8.33 points to his account,
thus reaching a heat-total of 16.00 points.
Duru got off to a slow start, but eventually unloaded a series of exquisite manoeuvres on a juicy wave to stun the crowd with a 9.27-point ride. This remained the only high-point for him during the Final, as he had to settle for 4.33 points off his second
business-wave, consequently finishing with a heat-total of 13.60 points.
“I’ve come to South Africa and to Jeffreys Bay for so many years, and have always seen the guys win the Billabong Pro, and now it’s my turn,” said De Souza. “I’m just so happy, and I’m going to remember this win for my whole life. J-Bay is a special place
for me and hopefully see you again next year.”
Despite getting demoted from the elite tour status to a 6-Star event, Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay had clearly not lost any of its oomph factor and once again delivered a heavy dose of enthralling action and exciting performances.
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