Recently in ASP World Tour Category

LOBITOS, Piura/Peru (Sunday, November 8, 2009) - Sofia Mulanovich (PER), 26, has taken out the Movistar Peru Classic presented by Rip Curl over reigning two-time ASP Women's World Champion and two-time defending event winner in Peru, Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), 21.

Event No. 5 of 7 on the 2009 ASP Women's World Tour, the Movistar Peru Classic culminated in offshore three-to-four foot (1 - 1.5 metre) waves at Lobitos today, and delivered all the drama and action the fans had been waiting for.

SUPERTUBOS, Peniche/Portugal (Wednesday, October 28, 2009) - Mick Fanning (AUS), 28, former ASP World Champion (2007) and current ASP World No. 1, has claimed the 2009 Rip Curl Pro Search at Supertubos in Portugal, defeating fellow Finalist Bede Durbidge (AUS), 26, and cementing his lead in the now two-horse race for the 2009 ASP World Title.
 
Event No. 9 of 10 on the 2009 ASP World Tour, the Rip Curl Pro Search ran a gamut of conditions and venues ranging from two-foot righthand wedges at Molhe Leste, four-foot offshore lefthanders at Lagido, punchy four-foot peaks at Belgas and death-defying six-to-eight foot barrels at Supertubos yesterday before culminating a dramatic end to competition.

SOPELANA, Euskadi/Spain (Tuesday, October 13, 2009) - Adriano de Souza (BRA), 22, claimed his inaugural ASP World Tour win today, taking out the Billabong Pro Mundaka, eliminating fellow Finalist Chris Davidson (AUS), 33, in punchy two-to-three foot (1 metre) waves at the backup venue of Sopelana.
 
Stop No. 8 of 10 on the 2009 ASP World Tour, the Billabong Pro Mundaka experienced an array of conditions for the event, from clean surf on the opening day at Mundaka to a lengthy seven-day wait before a marathon 24-heat session yesterday, culminating into today's dramatic finale.
 
De Souza, who had previously experienced in the ASP World Junior Championships (winning in 2003) and on the ASP World Qualifying Series winning in 2005), was rapt with his inaugural ASP World Tour victory.
 
"I don't have words to express how happy I am right now," De Souza said. "I have been working so hard for this ever since winning the ASP World Junior Championships and the ASP WQS. To finally win here in Mundaka, where the culture is so rich and the people love surfing so much, is an incredible thing. This is the most special day of my life."

SEIGNOSSE, France (Sunday, September 27, 2009) - Mick Fanning (AUS), 28, has just claimed his second consecutive ASP Dream Tour event, taking out the 2009 Quiksilver Pro France presented by Orange over fellow Finalist Bede Durbidge (AUS), 26, in punchy one-to-three foot (0.5 - 1 metre) waves at Les Bourdaines.

Event No. 7 of 10 on the 2009 ASP World Tour, the Quiksilver Pro France opted to utilize today's swell to complete the event given the dismal surf forecast for the remainder of the waiting period. Despite today's challenging conditions, the world's best surfers executed well, blending their rapid-fire approach with progressive fin-free and aerial surfing.

LOWER TRESTLES, California (Saturday, September 19, 2009) - Mick Fanning (AUS), 28, former ASP World Champion (2007), has taken out the Hurley Pro Trestles, besting fellow Finalist Dane Reynolds (USA), 24, to claim the richest winner's prize purse in surfing history, US$105,000.


Event No. 6 of 10 on the 2009 ASP World Tour, the Hurley Pro Trestles enjoyed rippable swell at the start of the waiting period before enduring three consecutive lay days to culminate in today's marathon of barrier-breaking action. With mind-blowing surfing going down from Round 4 through the Finals in clean two-to-three foot (1 metre) surf at Lower Trestles, it was the lightning-fast Australian who turned up the juice against Reynolds to claim his first-ever ASP Dream Tour win in California.


"I'm overwhelmed," Fanning said. "I'd like to congratulate Hurley and a huge thank you to them. I'd like to congratulate Dane (Reynolds) too. The sort of thing that he did, he's only the start of what we'll see in the next few years, so thanks for inspiring all of us. The conditions this week been very difficult, but that's surfing. You've got to surf in all kinds of stuff, you can't sit there and imagine one perfect wave at Trestles."

In the midst of her rookie year on the Dream Tour, young Sally Fitzgibbons has seen and experienced a lot this year. We caught up with her to see what's new in her world and how she's adjusting to life as a bonafide surf star. Incredibly, she's still very much down to Earth. Here's what she had to say:

Can we start with your last win on the 'QS?
Yeah, I won the last 'QS in Portugal, it was a six star event and my first qualifying series event for the year. It was an amazing feeling to get that one under the belt and it was my first win for the year so it gave me a lot of confidence and one of my most memorable events for sure.  It was jam packed, there was a three day waiting period and we surfed two of those days. It was a real adventure, we were surfing heats at nine o'clock at night and going up and down the coast looking for the best spots to surf because it was a mobile event. At the end of the day I was really tired but it really was an epic final with Coco Ho, the waves turned it on and it was the best it had been all event so we were just trading really high scores. It was great to be out there with a really great friend of mine and to get the win was even more memorable.

You can't win every contest you surf in, but finishing second is pretty damn good...even if you do miss out on a $100,000 payout. Either way, Mick Fanning put in a hell of a show and even though he couldn't topple hometown hero Brett Simpson, he wasn't too disappointed. "Thanks to all the people supporting me through out the week it was so much fun," said Mick, shortly after walking off the main stage in Huntington. "Can't wait for Trestles in September."

But with a month and a half off, what's the former world champ going to get himself into now? "It's Vegas time, yeah! I got a party bus heading up that Rip Curl organized. And it's Bobby Martinez's wife's 21st so happy b-day Cleo, yew!"

There you go folks, nothing like Vegas to shrug off a little disappointment. In the words of Ian Walsh, "I hope you keep your pants on, Mick."