Taj Burrow defeats Adriano de Souza in Final to claim Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast title – Surfing News
Australia’s Taj Burrow lifted the title at Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast after defeating Brazil’s Adriano de Souza in the Final that went down at Snapper Rocks in Queensland, Australia, on Sunday, March 4.
It turned out to be an intense Final with both the surfers fighting tooth and nail until the very last minute for the top honours.
The conditions at Snapper Rocks were far from ideal, with two-to-three foot waves on offer. The size of the waves and low frequency of good waves had troubled the surfers during the Quarter-finals and Semi-finals, though the two finalists had done exceptionally well to adjust to the challenge and collect big-enough scores to get to the last stage of the competition.
The 33-year-old Burrow had an ability to put on a solid performance regardless of the surfing conditions, something that made him formidable competitor at any event. He had been dominating the waves ever since recovering him a slight stumble in the opening round of Quiksilver Pro.
De Souza had not been any less impressive at the first stop of the 2012 Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Tour either. He had managed to reach the Final without as much as a scratch. With his current run of form, the 25-year-old Brazilian was expected to make a solid impact in the Final.
As the Final got underway, De Souza got off to a strong start, locking a wave in the opening minutes of the heat to post an 8.00 on the score-board.
Burrow remained patient during the early stages, but eventually made his charge on a juicy wave to unload a series of stylish manoeuvres, collecting a 9.43 for the effort. Adding an additional 6.43 to his account, the Australian surfer reached a heat-total of 15.86 points, well posted to take the win.
However, De Souza had no intention of giving up without a fight. In the dying minutes of the heat, the Brazilian surfer locked a right-hander to pull off a massive air-reverse. He required a 7.87 off the wave to take the win, but after a long discussion, the overall score by the judges just touched the 7.60 mark, leaving him in a 0.26-point deficit and forcing him to settle for runner-up place at Snapper Rocks for the second time, with him losing the title to Australia’s Joel Parkinson in 2009.
“I feel so good now!” Burrow said after the Final. “I had a really good event last year, but came up short in the Final against Kelly [Slater]. Then today when I found myself against Adriano [de Souza], I was really nervous because he got me in a Final in Brazil last year. He’s really tough and I don’t like competing against him to be honest. There was a lot of weight on my shoulders in that Final so it’s pretty rewarding to come out on top.”
With his win in the first stop of the 2012 ASP World Tour, Burrow tops the World Title rankings, while De Souza sits just behind him in second place. South Africa’s Jordy Smith and Australia’s Josh Kerr sit in equal third, while America’s 11-time ASP World Champion Kelly Slater and Australia’s Joel Parkinson, Owen Wright and Adrian Buchan share the No.5 spot.
The ASP Top-34 will resume their campaign for the ASP World Title at Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach that is scheduled to run from April 3 – 14.
Tags: