Beachley earns fifth surfing title
Advertiser Staff
Australia's Layne Beachley made surfing history without even competing yesterday, clinching her record fifth consecutive women's world championship during the final day of the Billabong Pro Maui.
Advertiser library photo • Dec. 1, 2000
Jacqueline Silva of Brazil won the contest in "perfect" 6-foot waves at Honolua Bay.
Layne Beachley is the women's world champion for the fifth consecutive time.
The contest was the final stop on both the women's World Championship Tour and the women's Vans Triple Crown of Surfing.
Beachley was eliminated in the third round of the contest last week, but clinched the world title when her closest challengers were also eliminated yesterday.
"I remember saying I was numb with shock last week when I lost," she said. "Well now I'm numb with shock again. I was prepared to sit here all day and congratulate someone else. I'm just glad it's come back to me."
Three contenders — Kaua'i's Keala Kennelly and Australians Melanie Redman-Carr and Lynette MacKenzie — needed to make yesterday's final to surpass Beachley, but they were all ousted before the semifinals.
Silva defeated Australia's Pauline Menczer in the final to win the $10,000 first prize. It was her first victory in three years on the World Championship Tour. She also jumped to No. 2 in the final rankings, the best showing by a Brazilian surfer in the 26-year history of the women's tour.
In the semifinals, Silva recorded a perfect 10 in her victory over Kaua'i's Rochelle Ballard.
Ballard eliminated Kennelly from world title and Triple Crown contention in the quarterfinals.
Australian Neridah Falconer won the Triple Crown championship, which is awarded to the best overall performer in three contests.
• • •
Billabong Pro Maui
1. Jacqueline Silva (Brazil), $10,000
2. Pauline Menczer (Australia), $6,000
3 (tie). Rochelle Ballard (Hawai'i) and Heather Clark (South Africa), $4,000
5 (tie). Keala Kennelly (Hawai'i), Julia Christian (California), Chelsea Georgeson (Australia) and Lynette MacKenzie (Australia), $3,000
Final 2002 World Championship Tour women's ratings
1. Layne Beachley (Australia), 3,200 points
2. Jacqueline Silva (Brazil), 2,870
3. Melanie Redman-Carr (Australia), 2,860
4. Keala Kennelly (Hawai'i), 2,690
5. Lynette MacKenzie (Australia), 2,680
6. Heather Clark (South Africa), 2,500\
7. Rochelle Ballard (Hawai'i), 2,490
8. Chelsea Georgeson (Australia), 2,470
9. Megan Abubo (Hawai'i), 2,200
10. Samantha Cornish (Australia), 2,170
