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With Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), 22, wrapping up the ASP Women’s World Title in Puerto Rico, competitors are battling for the ratings points towards the Vans Triple Crown title and requalification for the 2011 ASP Dream Tour. Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS), 19, current No. 2 on the ASP Women’s World Tour and a finalist at last year’s event, donated a strong performance in her opening O’Neill Women’s World Cup heat, putting the field in need of a combination of two scores by earning the day’s highest single-wave score of an 8.50 before clinching the highest heat total of a 14.83 out of 20 with crisp rail-to-rail surfing to advance to the Quarterfinals.
Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS), 19, earned the top scores of O'Neill Women's World Cup Round 1 competition. “We’ve got really good conditions out here today,” Fitzgibbons said. “I just got in a good rhythm out there and I’m happy to move through. It’s all about timing and I think I’ve gained a lot of confidence from last year.” Fitzgibbons, who has three runner-up finishes on the 2010 season, is hungry to wrap up her year with a win at the O’Neill Women’s World Cup and better her standing on the Vans Triple Crown. “It’s a long way to go, but I love surfing at Sunset and having some bigger waves,” Fitzgibbons said. “We haven’t really had many big waves this year on tour and it’s good to break out the big boards and have a crack. I’d love to make a final here and help my Triple Crown cause.” Gilmore, freshly crowned four-time ASP Women’s World Champion, got off to a slow start in her Round 1 heat, but built momentum throughout the 30 minute matchup and managed to battle back to victory with three clean forehand carves on her final wave to see the stylish natural-footer advance straight through to the Quarterfinals.
“I was kind of really slow at the start,” Gilmore said. “I was probably pretty lost out there, it’s only my second surf out at Sunset since I’ve been here and these conditions are really testing because it’s kind of half swell. Half of the waves are over to the point and to the middle and you’ve got to just stick to one of them. I sort of got lost in the middle, but I got one in the end.” Gilmore, two-time Vans Triple Crown champion and current series leader, admitted that competing at Sunset Beach often poses different challenges than any other wave on the ASP Women’s World Tour. “This is definitely one of the most challenging waves on tour,” Gilmore said. “You never know whether you’re going to be on or off. You could get caught inside for 20 minutes or have the best heat of your life, so it’s really hard. I’m happy I got a couple.” Carissa Moore (HAW), 18, who enters the event as defending champion after last year’s victory as a wildcard, won her opening heat today and is out for redemption after an uncharacteristic Round 1 loss at the first stop on the Vans Triple Crown, the Cholo’s Hawaiian Pro. “I’m happy to get that heat win,” Moore said. “I was pretty frustrated after Haleiwa last week and I just want to try and take it heat-by-heat and not put too much pressure on myself as defending champion. I want to have a good showing here at Sunset to redeem myself from Haleiwa. We’ll see what happens.” Tyler Wright (AUS), 16, who is an O’Neill Women’s World Cup Wildcard,
Gilmore, freshly crowned four-time ASP Women’s World Champion, will be competing in her rookie year on the elite ranks in 2011 and expressed the importance of the gained experience in tricky waves such as Sunset after winning her Round 2 heat. “I’ve been worked over a few times out there so it’s good to finally get a few waves,” Wright said. “It’s great experience for next year. Several of the girls that are going to be on tour were out there so it’s great.” The O’Neill Women’s World Cup of Surfing will be off tomorrow for the Thanksgiving holiday, but event organizers will reconvene Friday, November 26 to assess conditions to potentially resume the event. To watch the second stop of the Vans Triple Crown LIVE log on to http://www.triplecrownofsurfing.com/oneillwomensworldcup/live
O’Neill
Women’s World Cup Round 2 Reuslts: O’Neill
Women’s World Cup Round 1 Results:
www.waxheads.com event update 2 112 10 Tyler Wright Wins O’Neill Women’s World Cup, Sets Sights on 2011 ASP Women’s World Tour SUNSET BEACH, Oahu/Hawaii (Thursday, December 2, 2010) – Wildcard Tyler Wright (AUS), 16, has won the O’Neill Women’s World Cup of Surfing, topping Sunset Beach local Coco Ho (HAW), 19, reigning four-time ASP Women’s World Champion Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), 22, and ASP Women’s World Tour No. 2 Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS), 19, in two-to-four foot (1 metre) surf at Sunset Beach. The final stop on the ASP Women’s World Tour, the O’Neill Women’s World Cup of Surfing also marked the second jewel of the Vans Triple Crown and played a vital role in surfers’ campaigns towards requalification for the 2011 ASP Women’s Dream Tour. Wright, competing in the first Vans Triple Crown of her young career, quickly catapulted into the lead in the Final, smashing the event’s highest single-wave score of a 9.57 out of 10 en route to the highest heat total of a 17.24 out of 20 by linking a series of massive forehand hacks and powerful carves to leave the field in a combination situation within the first 10 minutes of the bout to eventually take out the win. “This feels pretty cool,” Wright said. “I had fun out there and caught a couple of waves and it started really pulsing at the end, so I was happy and having fun. The girls were ripping out there so it was good.”
Wright, who won her first ASP Women’s World Tour event at 14 as a wildcard, will be competing on her rookie year among the elite in 2011 and used the O’Neill Women’s World Cup as excellent preparation for next season. “This event has been a great warm up for next year,” Wright said. “It’s going to be fun next year and I’m looking forward to it.” Wright, who finished runner-up at the Reef Hawaiian Pro, also earned the prestigious JN Automotive Group Rookie of the Vans Triple Crown award and her current standing as ratings’ leader will see her compete for the 2010 ASP Specialty Series Title at Pipeline in a one-heat battle for the prestigious three-event series. “I didn’t even know there was a Rookie of the Year title for the Triple Crown until someone told me the other day,” Wright said. “It’s really cool. I’m happy to be here and having fun so I guess that’s the main thing I suppose. It’s awesome that I got in to Pipe. I’ve surfed there a couple of times now and I love it out there, you get some pretty big barrels.” Ho, who finished the year 7th overall, made her first final of the season in front of her home crowd at her local break of Sunset Beach and was satisfied that the best result of her year came at her local break. “Tyler (Wright) kind of had it from the start and it was hard to hear out there,” Ho said. “I just wanted to get two good ones, but I’m more happy then sad. I finally got a final this year and to finish this well at home, I’m really happy.” The Hawaiian native’s second place finish also secures her spot as one of four competitors who will battle for the Vans Triple Crown Title at Pipeline, the Vans Duel for the Jewel. “Getting
in to Pipe kind of all came with it,” Ho said. “I didn’t
expect anything. I knew I had a 7th at Haleiwa, but now I’m going
to be in Pipe. It should be so fun with just three girls out and hopefully
backdoor will have a few fun ones.” “I guess I’m not in the lead for the Triple Crown, Tyler (Wright) is, and that’s pretty cool,” Gilmore said. “I really struggled out there in my last heat. I didn’t watch it too much and it was extremely shallow.”
Gilmore, who topped Wright at the Cholo’s Hawaiian Pro, the first jewel of the Vans Triple Crown, views the young Aussie as a welcome addition to next year’s ASP Women’s World Tour and is looking forward to battling against her throughout the 2011 season. “Tyler is really hungry,” Gilmore said. “She’ll be a good addition to the tour. She’s really good and hopefully we’ll be pushing each other. We need more girls like that on tour and I’m looking forward to the competition.” Fitzgibbons, who finished the year at No. 2 on the ASP Women’s World Tour, entered her fourth final of 2010 after topping defending event champion Carissa Moore (HAW), 18, in the Semifinals and took fourth place overall. Despite being frustrated with not taking the event win, the Australian talent looks at the final as more valuable experience under her belt for next season. “I was stoked to make a final here at Sunset two years in a row, but the waves just kind of evaded me,” Fitzgibbons said. “I didn’t really have the rhythm and Tyler was on the good ones early one. I hadn’t really surfed the point like that much before. It does get frustrating sometimes making so many finals and not getting a win, but I’ve got to just keep moving on and keep building and hopefully get that win sometime soon.” The final stop on the 2010 Women’s Vans Triple Crown will see the current top four surfers on the ratings after the first two jewels, Tyler Wright, Stephanie Gilmore, Coco Ho, and Alana Blanchard (HAW), 20, battle for the prestigious ASP Specialty Series title in a one-heat battle at Pipeline, the Vans Duel for the Jewel. The event will take place during the Billabong Pipe Masters waiting period, December 8 through 20th, 2010. For O’Neill Women’s World Cup highlights log on to http://www.triplecrownofsurfing.com/oneillwomensworldcup/ For additional ASP information log on to www.aspworldtour.com O’Neill
Women’s World Cup of Surfing Final Results: O’Neill
Women’s World Cup of Surfing Semifinals Results: O’Neill
Women’s World Cup of Surfing Quarterfinals Results: Final
2010 ASP Women’s World Tour Rankings: 2011
ASP Women’s World Tour Roster:
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