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Soöruz Lacanau Pro
Joan Duru wins french Pro
First French in 27 Years to Win at Lacanau
lundi 24 août 2009 –
Toutes les versions de cet article : [English] [français]
Grabbing 2500 ratings’ points and US$20.000 for his performance this week, Duru’s result rockets the Ondres native from No. 10 to No. 7 on the ASP World Qualifying (WQS) ratings. Duru became the second French surfer since Thierry Fernandez in 1982 to win the event at Lacanau today, the first French surfer to win an ASP WQS major event in France at the same time.
Duru, who paddled out under pressure knowing a win would significantly ease his ASP Top 45 inception campaign, showed he had the skills to tame the excellent conditions on offer and kept his opponent away from the winner’s place posting a 16.47 point heat score (out of a possible 20) to seal the deal in front of a cheering crowd. At 20 years of age, Duru made history today besting former ASP World Tour elite surfer Travis Logie who had posted the event’s highest heat score earlier in the day.
Joan Duru : “I am just so happy right now, I wanted to win so bad I am really over the moon and can’t really realize the result yet. I felt quite uner pressure throughout the event and until the Semifinal I was just very focused and anxious but I managed to get over it for the final and I really let go to surf
Surf
#Surf
at my best. Travis (Logie) never let go off me and he is an impressive competitor so I really played my game and used priority and it finishes perfectly.”
Duru, who will move to the following event confidently having secured his career best ever result, unleashed a combination of massive vertical top turns and committed maneuvers to get a 9.00 point reward from the ASP judging panel and secure the win. Duru’s No. 1 finish in the ASP WQS 6-Star event not only has given him a serious option into next year’s ASP Dream Tour but also consolidates his comfortable lead in the ASP WQS European Series ratings where he remains ahead of Txaber Trojaola (Zarautz, EUK) by almost 3000 points.
“All light are green and everything is important to me so those ratings are of course in my mind. Leading the European ratings and possibly winning the regional title means a lot to me and I am pretty stoked to extend that lead. As for the WQS, well, it’s still a long way to go and I will just enjoy that win now.”
Cheered by the crowds while leaving the water in front of thousands of spectators standing at the water’s edge, Duru was raised to the event site ahead of fellow finalist and event runner-up Travis Logie (Durban, ZAF), 30. Travis Logie, who has been on a requalifying campaign since dropping out of the elite ASP Top 45 last year, was left with 2188 ratings’ points, a crucial result for the South African surfer whose performance rockets him to No. 9 on the international rankings. Logie, who posted several of the event’s top scores delivering exceptional backhand skills and heat tactics throughout the event, remained in the race for the title until the last minutes of the heat posting another solid 15.30 point heat result, not enough to steal the crown from French wunderkind.
Travis Logie : “I was very happy with the way I surfed and I just didn’t get any of the better waves during the final. Joan (Duru) really surfed a smart heat and got the best waves and he had been surfing good all event so congratulations to him. It’s a great result and that requalification is always at the back of my mind.”
Logie, who came-up with exceptional powersurfing en route to the final, was at ease in some of the best conditions ever seen at Lacanau and commented about the perfection surfed in the last three days.
“It’s probably the best waves we’ve had on the WQS this year and it’s been amazing the last few days. It should have been a Prime rated event, I wish it was so I would have got more points (laughs) ! The best I have ever surfed Lacanau and it’s great for the contest to get that reward as well.”
Info presse L.X.iR / www.sooruzlacanaupro09.com
SOORUZ LACANAU PRO FINAL
1st, Joan Duru (FRA), 16.47 pts
2nd, Travis Logie (ZAF), 15.30 pts
SOORUZ LACANAU PRO SEMIFINALS
Heat 1 : Travis Logie (ZAF) 14.60 pts Def. Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 10.76 pts
Heat 2 : Joan Duru (FRA) 11.17 pts Def. Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 10.03 pts
ASP WQS TOP 10 AFTER SOORUZ LACANAU PRO
No. 1, Daniel Ross (AUS), 14975 pts
No. 2, Jadson Andre (BRA), 13350 pts
No. 3, Owen Wright (AUS), 12838 pts
No. 4, Adam Melling (AUS), 12801 pts
No. 5, Patrick Gudauskas (USA), 12513 pts
No. 6, Matt Wilkinson (AUS), 12150 pts
No. 7, Joan Duru (FRA), 12050 pts
No. 8, Brett Simpson (USA), 11863 pts
No. 9, Travis Logie (ZAF), 11326 pts
No. 10, Blake Thornton (AUS), 10826 pts
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