Julian Wilson defeats Gabriel Medina to clinch Quiksilver Pro Portugal 2011 title
After numerous intense battles, the latest editions of Quiksilver Pro Portugal reached its grand finale on Saturday afternoon, June 18th, at the Ribeira D’Ilhas beach in Ericeira, Portugal.
It was Australia’s Julian Wilson who managed to claim the title after defeating Brazil’s Gabriel Medina in the finals.
The victory cemented his place in the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Tour prior to the mid-year cut-off.
The final of the Quiksilver Pro Portugal was being regarded by many as the clash of the titans, as both Wilson and Medina had been two of the most consistent surfers throughout the tournament. They had overcome numerous obstacles and battled unfavourable
surfing conditions to make it this far in the competition.
The Australian had shown no mercy to his competitors in the previous heats, winning almost all his heats with a considerable margin. There had only been one person who had managed to make him look second-best in the heat and that was New Zealand’s Jay Quinn.
However, the 22-year-old had paid Quinn back by eliminating him the competition in the quarter-final.
He later went on to show Brazil’s rampaging Miguel Pupo the exit door during the semi-final to earn his place in the finals.
Medina had not been any less impressive during the Quiksilver Pro Portugal title campaign either. Even before his excellent performances at Ribeira D’Ilhas beach, he was being regarded as one of the most deadly competitors on the ASP Prime series.
Taking the excellent forms of both the finalists into account, the final showdown was expected to be a real epic battle. However, it turned out to be a one-man show with Wilson stealing the show through his sensational performance.
The Australian went on a rampage during the heat to leave his rival dumbfounded. Catching his first wave, he laid a string of remarkable manoeuvres to earn a near-perfect score of 9.80 out of a possible 10. He followed it up with another outstanding wave,
scoring 9.57 points off, to finish with a heat-total of 19.37.
Medina seemed completely clueless after witnessing the sudden eruption by Wilson. Succumbing to the immense pressure that he was placed under by the mammoth heat-total, the Brazilian collected a 6.90 and 5.93 off his two waves to finish with a two-wave total
of 12.83 points.
Talking to a reporter after the heat, an ecstatic Wilson said, “I am so happy. To put in the hard yards for this one has been unreal. I have had a mediocre start to my year and I have been working so hard to make some heats. I flew over here by myself with
just the goal of winning and stayed focused so it worked out.”
With the Quiksilver Pro Portugal 2011 wrapped up, the surfers will turn their focus towards Mr Price Pro Ballito in South Africa, the last stop on the ASP Prime series before the mid-year cut-off takes place.
Tags: