Tyler Wright storms through Round 1 of Commonwealth Bank Beachley Classic
Australia’s Tyler Wright made a strong statement on day 1 of the Commonwealth Bank Beachley Classic by putting on a superb performance to claim top honours in the second heat of Round 1 that got underway at the Dee Why point in Sydney, Australia, on Thursday,
April 19.
The successful heat 2 served to carry the young sensation straight into the third round of the event, fourth of seven stops on the 2012 Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Women’s World Title Series.
America’s Sage Erickson finished in second place, whereas Peru’s Sofia Mulanovich put on a rather lacklustre performance to find herself finish in third place. Both the surfers were consequently relegated to the second round to surf again to earn their place
in Round 3.
Wright, the 2011 ASP Women’s World Rookie of the Year, had been making quite an impact since the start of the latest season. However, the 18-year-old Australian seemed to have made up her mind to take her surfing to an entirely new level at the latest edition
of Commonwealth Bank Beachley Classic, the same event where she had claimed top honours at the age of 14 as an event wildcard.
Pitted against Erickson and Mulanovich, two well-respected names in the sport, Wright adjusted exceptionally well to the tricky four-foot waves on offer at the primary event site and put on a superb show for the local crowd. Locking her first business-wave
halfway through the heat, she posted a solid 7.50 on the score-board and backed it up with a massive 9.15-point ride in the dying minutes of the battle to finish with a heat-total of 16.65 points. The dominant performance hardly received any significant challenge
from her rivals, thus allowing her to claim victory.
“I’m happy with how I put that heat together,” Wright said. “I feel like I’ve been fairly consistent on tour this year and I’m having the most fun I’ve ever had. I also feel like my surfing is the best it’s ever been. I’ve had some great match-ups against
Laura [Enever] and Steph [Gilmore] and I’m really enjoying it. When I won this event when I was 14-years-old, I was awestruck by everything that was going on. I was really enjoying my time that year and I’m going to try and do the same thing this year.”
Erickson was forced to settle for second place after scoring an 8.50 off her first business-wave and following it up with a 4.55-point ride to finish with a heat-total of 13.05 points.
Mulanovich collected a couple of four-point rides to finish with a two-wave total of 8.70 points, consequently finishing in third place.
While both Erickson and Mulanovich failed to make much of an impact in their Round 1 heat, they still had a chance of getting into Round 3 by coming back strong in their Round 2 heats.
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