Dusty Payne clinches victory in Round 1 of Billabong Pro Tahiti – 2011 ASP World Tour
The latest stop on Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Tour, Billabong Pro Tahiti, continued with the 11th heat of Round 1 on Saturday, August 20, at Teahupo’o in Taiarapu, Tahiti.
Hawaii’s Dusty Payne came up with an exceptional performance during the three-man battle to walk away with top honours and confirm his place in the third round. Australia’s Kieren Perrow had to settle for runner-up place, while Tahiti-local, Michel Bourez,
finished in third position. Both Perrow and Bourez were consequently relegated to the second round.
The 22-year-old Payne currently sits No.30 on the ASP World Rankings, putting him close to the danger zone as the season approaches the September rotation. Apparently, the Hawaiian was well aware of the fact that the current and next event is extremely crucial
in determining his future among the ranks of the elite surfers. Therefore, he left nothing to chance and brought his A-game to the event site on Saturday.
As the heat commenced, Payne wasted no time to assert his dominance by catching a wave to throw down a combination of impressive tricks and opening his account with 7.93 points. He remained on a lookout for another good score as the battle progressed and
eventually added an additional 8.83 points to his account in the later stages of the heat to finish with a heat-total of 16.76 points. The score remained unbeatable till the end, sealing the fate of the three-man battle in his favour.
Talking to a reporter after the heat, Payne said, “I just tried to catch a lot of waves, Teahupo’o is one of my top two favourite waves in the world – the other being Pipeline. I’ve been spending time with Bruce [Irons] here and we’ve had a lot of good talks
about the spot and the event. I’m just cruising.”
Commenting on his current ranking on the ASP World Rankings and upcoming mid-season cut, the Hawaiian said, “I don’t think about it too much. I’m aware of the situation, but I’m really just focused on getting good waves and surfing my best. Everything else
will fall into place.”
Perrow kept on breathing down Payne’s neck throughout the heat, refusing to give up till the very end. He scored 7.43 points off his first wave and followed it up later with an amazing 8.20-point wave, eventually finishing with a heat-total of 15.63 points.
Bourez showed great determination during the 30-minute heat, but had to settle for third place after scoring 6.67 and 8.50 points off his two best waves, finishing with a heat-total of 15.17 points.
For more updates on Round 1 of Billabong Pro Tahiti, stay tuned to bettor.com.
Tags: