Joel Parkinson beats Mick Fanning: 2011 Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach
The second stop of the 2011 ASP World Title season, the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach, wrapped up on Sunday, April 24, at the Bells Beach in Victoria, Australia. The final of the contest, celebrating its 50th anniversary, featured the former two-time
ASP World Champion, Mick Fanning, and his compatriot, Joel Parkinson, in an electrifying final. Once the battle concluded, it was Parkinson who stood victorious.
The final day of the 2011 Rip Curl Pro kicked off with the quarter-finals. In one of the biggest upsets of the day, Brazil’s Adriano de Souza brought America’s Kelly Slater’s title-pursuit to a premature end. The young Brazilian finished the quarter-final
with an impressive score of 18.00 against Slater’s 11.24, a score that evidence the world’s greatest surfer’s shaky form.
The Brazilian’s celebration was short-lived though, as he met Parkinson in the semi-finals. The Australian eliminated his rival from the contest and secured a place for himself in the final.
On the other hand, Fanning progressed to the semi-finals after beating Brazil’s Jason Andre with a score of 17.46 against 14.03. He went on to meet the South African Jordy Smith in the semi-final. The battle turned out to be a real nail-biter as both the
surfers scored big off both the waves. However, Fanning’s 18.87 against Smith’s 17.23 secured his position in the final.
Parkinson and Fanning, who happen to be best friends as well as fiercest rivals, got ready to face each other in the final. Their meeting in the final was being regarded as the clash of the titans.
The final battle commenced in solid six-to-eight foot waves at Bells Beach. The 30-year-old Parkinson clinched the first way of the final to and earned himself 8.53 draw the first blood. Fanning managed to get grab the next wave, but only managed a very
uncharacteristic 5.33, his lowest score of the week. The weak response from the 29-year-old Fanning placed in a more dominating position, though it was still too early to say how the battle would conclude.
However, Parkinson’s second wave removed all doubt and sealed the fate of the final. He drove the final nail in the coffin by getting a perfect 10 from four of the five judges, while one chose to give him 9.5. He ended up with a final score of 18.53 against
Fanning’s 13.26.
“It’s incredible,” Parkinson said. “It’s not so much the fact that I’ve won the event, but more so that it’s the 50th anniversary. It feels that much more special. We’ve had such good waves too. I can’t remember the last time that Bells had such good waves.
I’m so excited. I can’t believe this.”
After the win, Fanning carried Parkinson up the beach, a gesture that epitomized their friendship. “I tried to carry him all the way up the beach but buckled under his weight,” laughed Fanning afterward. “He’s bigger than he used to be. I think he’s been
working out a lot.”
After the first two stops, Slater tops the ASP World Title Ratings with 15,200 points. Parkinson has moved to second place with 14,000 points, while the South African, Smith, sits in third with 13,000 points.
The third stop on the 2011 ASP World Title season is the Billabong Pro Rio, which is scheduled to run in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from May 11-22.
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