Fitzgibbons, Wright through, Gilmore stumbles in Round 1 of Drug Aware Margaret River Pro
The opening day of the second stop on the 2013 Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Women’s World Championship Tour, Drug Aware Margaret River Pro, delivered a heavy dose of thrill at the main event site of Margaret River in Australia on Saturday,
March 16, 2013.
The solid six-to-eight foot waves on offer at the main even site presented a perfect opportunity for the top female surfers from around the globe to showcase their talent and entertain the huge crowd in attendance at the beach with their big-wave prowess.
The proceedings of the day kicked-off with America’s Courtney Conlogue getting the better of Hawaii’s Coco Ho and New Zealand’s Paige Hareb in the first heat to secure her place in the third round, relegating both her rivals to the second round in the process.
Conlogue had looked very impressive at Roxy Pro Gold Coast and her Round 1 performance showed her bringing the momentum to Margaret River with her.
Former ASP Women’s World Champion Carissa Moore from Hawaii clinched an impressive victory over her compatriot Malia Manuel and America’s Sage Erickson to advance straight into the third round.
The third heat featured the biggest upsets of the day, as Australia’s Felicity Palmateer downed reigning five-time ASP Women’s World Champion Stephanie Gilmore, along with France’s Pauline Ado, to make her way through into the third round.
“I’ve been a huge fan of Steph’s surfing for a long time,” Palmateer said. “I had a bit of a shaky start and I didn’t have a lot of confidence and then I got that great left, and then I was ready to go. Yesterday the surf was about three times bigger than
today and I got a couple of floggings, so I felt really confident out there today. It’s pretty much my home break and I really feel the support from everyone around here.”
The rest of the day did not bring any big surprises, with Australia’s Sally Fitzgibbons, Tyler Wright and Laura Enever registering victories in their respective Round 1 heats to head into the third round.
When the competition resumes, the surfers failing to finish on top in their Round 1 heats would take each other on in a one-on-one battle for the Round 3 spot.
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