Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast 2012 - Snapper Rocks

ROUND 1 HIGHLIGHTS

Kelly Slater again dominated the opening day of the Quiksilver Pro at Snapper Rocks in Queensland Australia. The event champion and current world champion caught this wave in his round one and negotiated a big barrel ride successfully to post the day’s highest wave score of a 9.87 and finished the heat with the highest heat score of the day with 18.80 in his demolition of emerging young surfers Garrett Parkes (Austalia) and Kolohe Andino (USA). At 40 years of age Slater’s defence of his event title and world title appears off to yet another incredible start.

ROUND 2 HIGHLIGHTS

SNAPPER ROCKS, Queensland/Australia (Sunday, 26 February, 2012)—The Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast presented by Land Rover, the opening stop on the 2012 ASP World Championship Tour, was back on today with the elimination Round 2 completed in clean three-to-four foot (1 metre) conditions at Snapper Rocks.

Kelly is tearing the joint a new one yet again, I would like to see perennial favourite Taj do well this year and by well I mean win the title.

ROUND 3 HIGHLIGHTS

SNAPPER ROCKS, Queensland/Australia (Monday, 27 February, 2012)—The Quiksilver Pro and Roxy Gold Coast presented by Land Rover, the opening stop on the 2012 Men’s and Women’s ASP World Championship Tours, ran for the third consecutive day at Snapper Rocks today, and the world’s best surfers collectively lifted the high-performance levels today in two-to-three foot (1 metre) waves at Snapper Rocks.

ROUND 4 & 5 HIGHLIGHTS

The Quiksilver Pro and Roxy Gold Coast presented by Land Rover, the opening stops on the 2012 Men’s and Women’s ASP World Championship Tours, today whittled the field down to the just eight men and four women with the world’s best surf

TAJ WINS, very happy with the result, was a tense final though.

Good to see an Aussie take it out!!!!! And an older one at that!!!!! 

Go Taj! I don’t really care that much about comp surfing but would love to see him get a world title.

FINAL DAY HIGHLIGHTS

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SNAPPER ROCKS, Queensland/Australia (Sunday, March 4, 2012)—The final day of the Quiksilver and Roxy Pro Gold Coast presented by Land Rover culminated today with perennial ASP World Title threat Taj Burrow (AUS), 33, and four-time ASP Women’s World Champion Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), 24, taking the respective wins in clean two-to-three foot (1 metre) waves at the primary venue of Snapper Rocks.

Burrow defeated dangerous South American Adriano De Souza (BRA), 25, in a Final that came down to the wire. De Souza caught a wave in the dying minutes and launched into a massive air-reverse, requiring a 7.87 out of a possible 10 to take the lead. The judges deliberated until after the siren sounded and when it was announced that De Souza came a mere 0.27 short, Burrow was chaired up the beach and declared the 2012 Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast champion.

De Souza finished runner-up at the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast for the second time, after coming 2nd to Joel Parkinson (AUS), 30, in 2009. De Souza was easily one of the event’s top performers this season with gouging turns and inverted aerials taking him to a podium finish.

Burrow used a heat-high wave score of 9.43 to win with a total of 15.86 to de Souza’s 15.60 much to the delight of a raucous capacity Snapper Rocks crowd who adopted the West Australian as one of their own.
Burrow assumes the No.1 ranking as the World Tour heads to Bells Beach from April 3-14, while de Souza on No.2 is well placed to improve on last year’s finish of fifth on the world rankings.

Snapper Rocks has proved a happy hunting ground for Burrow, who has appeared in the past three finals, winning in 2010 and finishing second to Kelly Slater (USA) last year.

Burrow said victory was sweet after last year’s loss to Kelly Slater.

Earlier in the semi-finals, Burrow defeated South African Jordy Smith 15.56 to 14.20 while de Souza defeated crowd favourite Josh Kerr (AUS) 14.16 to 13.57 in the dying seconds. Burrow was forced to work hard for the spoils with a tough road to the final including defeating opponents such as Dane Reynolds (USA), Julian Wilson (Aus), Adrian Buchan (Aus) and Smith.

ROXY PRO - FINALS HIGHLIGHTS

SNAPPER ROCKS, Queensland/Australia (Sunday, March 4, 2012) – The final day of the Quiksilver and Roxy Pro Gold Coast presented by Land Rover culminated today with perennial ASP World Title threat Taj Burrow (AUS), 33, and four-time ASP Women’s World Champion Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), 24, taking the respective wins in clean two-to-three foot (1 metre) waves at the primary venue of Snapper Rocks.

Gilmore is back on top after an emotional victory at the Roxy Pro Gold Coast at her home break of Snapper Rocks today.

Gilmore, 24, scored a 9.2 wave in the last minute to defeat Sydney’s Laura Enever 16.37 to 14.2 in the 30-minute final to reclaim the No.1 spot on the ASP world rankings.  A position Gilmore lost to Moore exactly one year ago at the Snapper Rocks event. 

Gilmore said this season already feels like a complete flip-side to last year, when she was attacked by a man wielding an iron bar at her Tweed Heads home shortly before the first event of the year.

Gilmore added that the women’s standard was unsurpassed this year and twenty-year-old Enever was a definite contender.

Gilmore advanced to the final with a convincing 18.30 to 15.00 win against Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) in the semi-final, while Enever locked in a final-minute ride to defeat Tyler Wright (AUS) 16.70 to 16.17 in the first semi-final.

Enever went one better than she did at last year’s Roxy Pro Gold Coast when she finished third to feature in her first world tour final.  The now world ranked no.2 surfer pushed Gilmore all the way but was forced to settle for second against the in-form Gilmore.

The win was Gilmore’s fourth Roxy Pro Gold Coast title after victories in 2010, 2009 and as a wildcard in 2005. Her wins in 2010 and 2009 were the launch pad for her successful World Title campaigns, while her victory today was a triumphant return to the Snapper Rocks victory dais.

A gracious Enever congratulated Gilmore and was ecstatic to make her first World Tour final.

Bells Beach will host the next ASP Men’s and Women’s World Title events from April 3 to 14.