Mick Fanning and Michel Bourez impress at Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast
Former two-time Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Champion Mick Fanning from Australia and French Polynesia’s Michel Bourez may have failed to finish on top at Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast, the opening event on the 2013 ASP World Championship
Tour, but their performance made it evident that they mean business this season.
Switching between Snapper Rocks and Kirra during the course of the competition, both the surfers looked in great form since the very first day of the competition.
There was plenty of reason for them to push themselves beyond their little at Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast, since registering a great result at the start of the season would have allowed them to build momentum.
The conditions at both the primary and alternative event sites on all active day of the competitions were great, allowing both Bourez and Fanning to put on a series of exquisite performances.
The French Polynesian surfer in particular was in great form, eliminating the likes of defending event champion Taj Burrow despite his opponent enjoying advantage due to his local knowledge of the waves and support of the local crowd.
Bourez managed to fight his way to the semi-final, where he found himself pitted against the reigning ASP World Champion Joel Parkinson in a man-on-man battle for the spot in the finals.
The battle turned out to be pretty intense, though the Australian surfer even managed to down Bourez after finishing with a heat-total of 18.17 points against his rival’s 15.80 points.
“It was such a hard heat against Parko (Joel Parkinson),” Bourez said. “He’s a local and he got a 10 on his first wave. It was kind of embarrassing for me as I was waiting and sitting out there for too long and Joel was able to catch a lot of waves. It’s
alright though. It’s my best result at this event. I feel great, my boards are going well and I can’t wait for Bells.”
Fanning was nothing short of superb at Snapper Rocks and Kirra either. However, he failed to hold his own against the 12-time ASP World Champion Kelly Slater, the most intimidating name in the sport.
The Florida-based Slater completely stunned the crowd with a near-perfect performance, eventually finishing with a heat-total of 19.37 points. Fanning put up an excellent fight, something that was expected of him, but he eventually finished with a heat-total
of 18.60 points, consequently surrendering to his rival.
The way both Bourez and Fanning performed at Snapper Rocks and Kirra has confirmed that the battle for the coveted ASP World Title will be pretty intense this year.
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