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Billabong Pro (July 13-23) www.billabongpro.com
Supertubes, Jeffreys Bay, South Africa
Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) www.aspworldtour.com
2004 Foster's Men's World Championship Tour (WCT)
Surfing World Focused On J-Bay
Tuesday, July 6, 2004 (ASP Int'l, Australia) The eyes of the surfing world will be firmly fixed on Jeffreys Bay, South Africa, next week as the world's best surfers converge for the US $260,000 Billabong Pro. The fifth of 12 events on the 2004 Foster's men's ASP World Championship Tour (WCT), 'J-Bay' follows a months' break, leaving competitors hungry to be let loose on one of the world's premier righthand point breaks.
Supertubes, the venue for the 20th edition of what has become Africa's most prestigious and lucrative surfing tournament, is universally acknowledged as one of the planet's top 10 high performance waves.
Add the talent of the world's 45 highest ranked surfers, including reigning two-time world surfing champion Andy Irons (Kauai, HAW) and former six-time world champ and defending Billabong Pro winner Kelly Slater (FL, USA) - whose year long duel for the 2003 world crown produced arguably the most exciting title chase in the 28 year history of surfing's world tour - and you get a sense of the show brewing.
Former event winners Mark Occhilupo (1984), Joel Parkinson (1999) and Jake Paterson (2000 & 2001) - all Australians, will be back to try and emulate their previous triumphs. Slater meanwhile, will be doing his best to repeat his legendary feats of last year when he produced one of the greatest sequences of sustained contest surfing ever witnessed to clinch a second Supertubes title to go with the inaugural crown he won in 1997.
At 38, surfing phenomenon Mark Occhilupo (Gold Coast) is the oldest WCT competitor. The 'Raging Bull' is currently the highest ranked Australian surfer at no.4 in the world behind Irons, Slater, and fellow Floridian CJ Hobgood.
"I am definitely in a good position for this time of year and at this time of my life," reasoned Occhilupo. "Hopefully J-Bay will be kind to me this year, my free surfing at J-Bay is good and I feel like it should be one of my best events. I had a quarterfinal finish last year after a tight heat with Kelly. I just hope it's pumping this year."
The 45 WCT campaigners, including South African Greg Emslie, will be joined in the 48-man format by three wildcards who are determined by the Von Zipper Wildcard Trials staged on the first day the contest is called.
The VZ Trials will be contested by South Africans Sean Holmes (Wilderness), J-Bay local Ryan Payne and the 2002 ISA world junior champion and runner-up, Durbanites Warwick Wright and Ricky Basnett respectively, as well as SA juniors Damien Fahrenfort and Jordy Smith.
They will be against four international Billabong team riders in Bede Durbidge (Aus) and Portugal's Tiago Pires, along with newcomers TJ Barron from Hawaii and Norimasa Ohno . the first Japanese surfer to compete in the event. The top surfer in each of the five man heats, plus the highest scoring second placed competitor, automatically earn a spot in the prestigious Billabong Pro, where they will be matched up against the top three seeds in the first round.
Holmes has become one of the most feared wildcards, following the past two years of qualifying for the Billabong Pro and then defeating #1 seed and reigning world champion Andy Irons (Haw) and a number of the other top 45 rated surfers, finishing fifth overall in 2002 and ninth last year.
"It's a great honor to be given another chance in the Von Zipper Trials," said a humble Holmes, a two-time SA open surfing champion who reached the final of the ISA World Surfing Games in Ecuador in March. "Hopefully a couple of us can earn wildcards and fly the SA flag in the Billabong Pro."
Unfortunately some members of the top 45 will be absent from the draw. 2002 Billabong Pro winner Mick Fanning (Gold Coast, AUS) recently injured his hamstring, and Floridian Shea Lopez continues to recover from the knee injury he suffered at the late last season competing at Pipeline. Replacing them are Luke Hitchings (Bronte, AUS) and Troy Brooks (Gold Coast, AUS).
World #7 Kieren Perrow (Byron Bay, AUS) and wife Danielle are expecting the birth of their first child any day, so should he elect to withdraw later this week, Shane Powell (Avoca, AUS) will be offered the spot.
Meanwhile, Nathan Hedge (Narrabeen, AUS) is again primed for action after dislocating his shoulder in the final of the Billabong Pro Teahupoo event in Tahiti, and fellow Narrabeen surfer Chris Davidson has also recovered from his foot injury. Similarly, Californian Shane Beschen returns after the knee injury he incurred on Australia's Gold Coast at the start of the season.
The Billabong Pro boasts an 11 day window, yet only requires four full days of competition to determine a champion in the best possible conditions.
All the action from the Billabong Pro will be streamed live on the Internet at www.billabongpro.com. These productions include three camera angles, live commentary in English, Spanish and Portuguese, up to the minute scoring, replays of rides, a fan club and email messages from around the planet broadcast over the event PA system and the web.
For more information:
Jesse Faen - ASP International Media Manager
jesse@aspworldtour.com
Mobile: +61-(0)-407-189-289
ASP Int'l office (Aus): +61-(0)-7-5599-1550
Billabong South Africa
Tel: +27 (0) 42 200 2600
Website: www.billabongpro.com
Life's a Beach Communications . Paul Botha
Mobile: +27 (0) 82 423 1964
Email: lifesabeach@mweb.co.za
Mandy McKinnon . TV News Feeds
mandy@aspworldtour.com
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