Gilmore and Slater win in Hawaii

Both Stephanie Gilmore and Kelly Slater have finished the 2008 ASP World Tours with big wins in Hawaii.


Having just been crowned ASP Women's World Champion for the second time, Steph Gilmore stormed to victory in the Billabong Pro Maui, defeating Melanie Bartels (HAW), to claim her second consecutive win in the event at Ho'okipa Beach Park and earning her first Vans Triple Crown of Surfing (an ASP Specialty Series) Title.

Nine-time ASP World Champion Kelly Slater (USA) took the big one at Oahu, Hawaii, the prestigious Billabong Pipeline Masters. The victory is Slater's sixth of the 11 event tour, in a season that saw him top the World rankings for a record ninth time.

ASP World Tour Update

Well, last month, with two events left on the 2008 ASP World Tour, Kelly Slater, USA, finally secured a record ninth ASP World Title, securing a sufficient points lead in the title rankings after advancing out of Round 3 of the Billabong Pro Mundaka, Spain.
The event went on to be won by C.J. Hobgood (USA), who defeated Joel Parkinson (AUS) in three-foot (one meter) barreling waves.

Now, Australian Bede Durbidge, has taken the Hang Loose Santa Catarina Pro in Imbituba, Brazil, over France's Jeremy Flores.

The win moves Durbidge to the World No. 2 position, while fellow Australian Taj Burrow follows in third. At position four, Joel Parkinson completes the Ausie trio in the top five of the ASP world rankings, while C.J. Hobgood trails in fifth place.

Slater Still Waiting

Kelly Slater (USA) is still waiting to clinch a historic ninth ASP World Title. He had it in his sights but Adrian Buchan (AUS) pipped him 15.73 to 15.16, to take the Quiksilver Pro France, in a tight final held at Les Bourdaines.

Kelly now has to move across the border to Mundaka in the Basque Country of Spain, for the ninth stop of the ASP World Tour, where appropriately, if he finishes ninth or better, he will be declared world champion for the ninth time.

Nine is considered a good number in Chinese culture and is the most exalted number because it sounds the same as the Chinese word for "longlasting". Coincidence?

Slater Heading to Ninth World Title

Kelly Slater (USA) is only one event win away from a record ninth ASP World Title.
He beat Taj Burrow (AUS) 18.97 to 18.63, to claim his third Boost Mobile Pro title at Lower Trestles, California, despite Burrow having scored a 9.00 and 9.63 before the halfway mark in the final and thinking that he had the match sewn up. Slater however is a master at stealing a win right at the end and when Taj passed up on an unpromising wave with less than two minutes to go, Kelly did what he does best.

The next stop on the 2008 ASP World Tour begins on September 19, in Hossegor, France.

Kelly Slater wins in Fiji

Eight-time ASP World Champion Kelly Slater (USA) has won his third event on the 2008 ASP World Tour after eliminating C.J. Hobgood in the final of the Globe Pro Fiji held in six foot (two metre) waves at Cloudbreak. Slater remains the only member of the ASP Top 45 to win an event in this year's tour and the win places him in a commanding position at the top of the world rankings.

Kelly Slater wins Lower Tresles

The 2007 Boost Mobile Pro at Lower Tresles, California, has been won by American surfing hero, ASP World Champion, Kelly Slater (USA) . Kelly, who is the only surfer to have ever scored a 'Perfect 20' in an ASP competition heat, now claims the highest number of elite tour wins in pro surfing history (34); this win taking him past the legendary Tom Curren.

The win puts him in second place on the current world rankings and in a commanding position to take a ninth world title as the tour moves on to event 7, Quiksilver Pro France, at Hossegor, France, running from September 20 to 30, 2007.

Foster’s ASP World Tour Ratings after Stop No. 6 of 10:

1. Mick Fanning (AUS) 5270


2. Kelly Slater (USA) 5040


3. Taj Burrow (AUS) 4511


4. Andy Irons (HAW) 4331


5. Joel Parkinson (AUS) 4029


6. Damien Hobgood (USA) 3824


7. Bede Durbidge (AUS) 3467


8. Pancho Sullivan (HAW) 3462


9. Jeremy Flores (FRA) 3438


10. Dean Morrison (AUS) 3248

Andy Irons beats Kelly Slater to win Pipeline Masters

Hawaii has seen the close of both the Men's and the Women's ASP world tour. In a nail-biting finish to the Women's tour, Layne Beachley claimed her seventh world title and on the Men's tour, although Kelly Slater had already claimed his eighth world title, the last event of the year produced what many claim to be the best final ever seen at the 36-year-old Rip Curl Pro Pipeline Masters, Andy Irons (HAW) claiming a heroic victory over long-time rival Kelly Slater (USA), Cory Lopez (USA) and Rob Machado (USA).

In typical style, Slater began the final at lightning speed, chalking up a 9.00 and a 7.40 within the first eight minutes but Irons is renowned for fighting to the end and fought back with an amazing 9.87 and a killer 10 to finish.