Quik Pro Goes Down In Historic Fashion; Adriano takes Second, Parko wins on home soil

It was a long hard slog to get to the end of the Quiksilver Pro, but for Adriano De Souza and Joel Parkinson it was well worth the effort. Adriano finished a very respectible second, while Parko took his first event win in 26 attempts. Both are now squarely in the driver's seat with the 2009 ASP World Tour season underway.

With the effects of Cyclone Hamish pounding the Gold Coast, early in the week contest organizers made the call to move the event site from Snapper Rock down to Kirra, which obviously got everybody good and frothy. By the time the final day of competion rolled around the surf was a tumoltuous six to eight feet. "Cyclone Hamish turned it on for us," reported Mick Fanning, who fell to Parko in an epic semifinal duel. "It's one of those days where you can have one of the best surf's of your life and one of the worst surf's of your life, it wasn't the best surf of my life but it was definitely up there."

"I saw Kirra break a couple of years ago but I am too young to have seen it break like it has in the past," added Adriano. "These are the best waves so far during my time in Australia. I am really glad with everything, second place for me is an amazing result. I will just keep trying to do the same thing at the next event."

All in all the contest definitely rates as a success...even if Northern Queensland had to take it on the chin."The waves really turned on for us today because of cyclone Hamish," told Parko. "There has been some devastation up north but it definitely brought some joy to the Gold Coast."

"I am so happy," said Adriano after it was all said and done. "I had a great time. Joel and I, it was fun. To get past Freddy [Pattachia], Bede [Durbidge] and Taj [Burrow] who was number 3 in the world, it was amazing. I am so glad that all of this happened and all of these results went my way."