Cannelle Bulard clinches the Billabong ISA World Surfing Games women title
The women’s open final of Billabong International Surfing Association (ISA) World Surfing Games 2011 went down at the beach-break of Playa Venao in Panama on Saturday, July 2nd.
France’s Cannelle Bulard prevailed in the final battle to get her hands on the event title. Peru’s Sofia Mulanovich finished runner-up to secure silver, while Australia’s Jessi Miley-Dyer took bronze after finishing third. Australia’s Dimity Stoyle took
fourth position and got to take home the copper medal for the effort.
The year sure was turning out to be a Cinderella-story for the 18-year-old Bulard. After recently taking the crown at Women’s ISA World Junior Surfing, the French added an ISA World Surfing Games victory to her resume.
Pitted against the 2004 ISA and Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Champion, Mulanovich, along with Dyer and Stoyle, Bulard seemed to be the least threatening during the four-way battle.
As the final contest kicked off, Mulanovich locked a wave in the early minutes to score 6.50 points off it. However, Dyer responded strongly with an impressive 7.33-point wave and stole the lead.
The Peruvian soon regained the lead after throwing a strong of impressive manoeuvres on her second wave and earning 7.13 points for the effort. The heat-total of 13.63 kept her well ahead of the rest of the competition for most part of the heat.
Dyer’s second wave score of 6.00 failed to threaten Mulanovich’s lead. Stoyle’s two-wave total of 11.47, which included 5.67 and 5.80, was unable to pose any threat to the Peruvian’s smooth sailing towards victory either.
While the Australians succumbed to Mulanovich’s heat-total, Bulard refused to give up and kept searching hard for a couple of good scores. Bringing her backhand surfing into play, the French threw down a series of backside tricks in the final minutes of
the heat to score an impressive 7.93 off her first wave. Adding a sensational and decisive 8.50 point to her account, she finished with a heat-total of 16.43 points to deprive the Peruvian of victory.
Talking to the media after the results were announced on the loudspeaker, an ecstatic Bulard said, “I can’t believe it; it’s like a dream. Doing this for the French National Team is amazing. We are not going to be together at the top (Gold Medal) of the
podium as a team, but it is great. I would like to thank all my family and friends—I can’t wait to go home and celebrate with all of them.”
With this victory, Bulard became the first surfer ever to win both World Junior Surfing Championship and World Surfing Games in the same year.
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