Eight-time ASP World Champion Kelly Slater is once again the world’s number one surfer after beating reigning ASP World Champion Mick Fanning at his home break of Snapper Rocks on Queensland’s Gold Coast today.
Slater beat Fanning in the final to claim his second Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast title.

Prior to his win today, Florida based Slater had not defeated Fanning since 2003. Both surfers have now won the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast twice – Fanning in 2005 and 2007 and Slater in 2006 and 2008.
“Mick is definitely the best competitor in the world right now,” Slater said. “He makes very few mistakes and surfs the face of the wave real well. He’s one of those rare guys who can pull out the big manoeuvres to get the big scores when he needs to.”

Thirty six year old Slater’s win didn’t come easily today. He had to beat three times ASP World Champion Andy Irons from Hawaii in the quarter finals and 2007 Rookie of the Year, nineteen year old Frenchman Jeremy Flores in the Semis.

“In that heat against Jeremy (Flores) I had very little energy and I really had to push it on my one big score,” Slater said.

Twenty six year old Fanning, who took the World No. 1 spot with a win at this event last year, had not relinquished the top spot until today. He had the highest scoring wave of the Final – a 9.33 – but needed to back it up with an 8.61 he never found.
“I wanted another wave to come through and unfortunately for me it didn’t happen but Kelly surfed amazing and he’s the greatest surfer of all time,” Fanning said.

Fanning had to beat fellow Queenslanders Bede Durbidge and Dean Morrison earlier in the day to earn his finals berth this afternoon. Fanning’s semifinal clash against Durbidge was a repeat of last year’s final which Fanning won.
“I didn’t know exactly how I was going to go, but I felt really relaxed the whole event and did things when I needed to,” Fanning said.

“I just needed one more little wave to pop up but it didn’t happen.”
The next event on the 2008 ASP World Tour will take place in Bells Beach Australia from March 18-29, 2008.

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Posted By: GlenB - Category: News

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Comment by James Rickard

March 4th 2008 23:16

unlucky_ fishermen.com
Angling Fish

I must really be into the oddball sports. Thanks for posting this. It didn't make my newspaper.

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