Julian Wilson downs Australian surfing elite to win Breaka Burleigh Pro – Surfing News
Australian Julian Wilson overcame the heavy-weights of surfing in the four-man Final on Sunday, February 12, to win the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) 4 Star Men’s World Tour Breaka Burleigh Pro that took place at the Gold Coast in Australia.
Wilson and nearly a third of the ASP Top 34 had arrived at Burleigh Heads, the birth-place of man-on-man surfing, to warm up for the upcoming World Tour. Winning the event by defeating the top seeders in the event was exactly the sort of preparation that
the young Australian phenom had been looking for with the first stop of the 2012 ASP World Tour, Quiksilver Pro, just around the corner.
“It’s been an incredible event and I was so looking forward to surfing against any of these guys and we all met in the final which was perfect,” said Wilson. “We enter the event to get ready for the upcoming Quiksilver Pro which begins the World Title season
and through every heat here I’ve increased my performances, dusted away the cobwebs and feel good right now about winning.”
The fans gathered at the iconic Burleigh Heads could not have wished for a more exciting finish to the event. After getting treated to intense battles for the last four days, they got to see their favourite Australian surfers square off in the Final.
With the likes of two-time ASP World Champion Mick Fanning and other Australian elites, namely Josh Kerr and Bede Durbidge, contending for top honours on Sunday, Wilson surely had his work cut out for him.
Fanning began his assault for victory very early in the heat, collecting an 8.77 to move into the lead. However, Wilson patiently waited for a good wave to show up and eventually used it to post an 8.77 on the score-board as well. Keeping the momentum going,
he soon backed it up with a 7.77-point wave to get to a heat-total of 16.54 points.
While Fanning struggled to find another big score, Kerr announced himself as a threat to Wilson after scoring a 9.23 off his first business-wave. While the opportunity was there for the taking, he was unable to capitalise on it. After a long and determined
hunt, he eventually finished behind Wilson with a heat-total of 16.03 points.
Durbidge did not make much of an impact during the Final either and finished in fourth place with a two-wave total of 9.90 points.
Wilson had been outstanding throughout the course of the event and finding him walk away with the overall win hardly came as a surprise. The 23-year-old Sunshine Coast surfer had already proven his mettle during the ASP World Title Tour last year, becoming
the Rookie of the Year after finishing in ninth place.
With his victory at Burleigh Heads, the young Australian sensation will definitely be feeling really confident as he moves closer to the latest season of the ASP World Tour.
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