Posted on: Tuesday, June 3, 2003
Kaua'i's Irons caps perfect day of surfing by winning Fiji Pro
Advertiser Staff
|
| World Championship Tour leader Andy Irons of Kaua'i, takes a barrel ride through the 6- to 8-foot surf in the semifinals at Cloudbreak, Tavarua, Fiji. During the five days of competition, there were three perfect 10s, all by Irons.
Associated Press |
Irons continued his amazing run through surfing's World Championship Tour by winning the Quiksilver Fiji Pro today.
Waves of 6 to 8 feet were in near-perfect form for the final day of competition at Cloudbreak, Tavarua, Fiji. Irons was in near-perfect form as well.
He posted a perfect 10 and a 9.0 to easily beat Florida's Cory Lopez in the one-on-one final.
"I've never done well (in Fiji) before," said Irons, who is from Hanalei. "It was a big goal of mine just to make a few rounds."
He did more than that, winning six heats over five days to earn the $30,000 top prize. Irons, 24, won three heats today alone, and all were in convincing fashion.
He also posted a perfect 10 in his quarterfinal victory over Australian Shane Powell, and a 9.33 in his semifinal victory over Australian Kieren Perrow.
In the final, Irons opened with a barrel ride that received a 9.0 score. On his next wave he rode through a bigger and longer barreling wave for the perfect 10.
"Every heat I was getting more momentum and before I knew it, I was in the final and got two huge scores before Cory had his first," Irons said. "It worked out perfectly."
Irons' two-wave total of 19.0 in the final was the best score of the entire contest. Lopez had a two-wave total of 13.83 in the final.
"He's a great surfer and any wave he gets he's going to turn it into an excellent score," Lopez said of Irons. "He's probably the best backside surfer around and he definitely smoked me out there."
Of the hundreds of waves surfed over five days in the contest, only three perfect 10s were awarded — all to Irons.
Irons, the defending world champion, also regained sole possession of the No. 1 ranking on the 2003 world tour. Through four of 13 contests so far, Irons has 3,600 points. Australian Mick Fanning is second with 2,964.
Irons has won six of the last 14 contests staged on the world tour, including two this year. That streak includes victories in Australia, Spain, Tahiti, Hawai'i, and now Fiji.
"It's another season and this is definitely a good start," Irons said. "I've had two ninths (placings) and two firsts, but we've got so many events left."
The next world tour contest, the Niijima Quiksilver Pro, is scheduled to begin June 18 at Niijima Island, Japan.
