Your Drug Aware Pro Margaret River champ, Carissa Moore and runner-up Tyler Wright. Pic: ASP/RobboOld Margy was determined to make it tough for her fellow girls in the Drug Aware Pro, Margaret River. As Tyler Wright and Carissa Moore paddled out for their WCT final, 8-10 foot sets ploughed through the lineup like sideways container ships. Earlier in the week Coco Ho had nearly drowned after her legrope became caught on the reef in a free surfing session, so the girls had every right to be a little nervous.
As both surfers struggled to find a rhythm and the sets continued to bombard the reef, the final descended into a grudge match. Wright had looked unstoppable in her semi, amassing a heat total of 18.43 against Sally Fitzgibbons, but against Carissa the momentum deserted her. Ultimately it was Moore who positioned herself best for the waves with scoring potential, surfing solidly rather than flamboyantly to claim her first victory since the Billabong, Rio pro in 2011. Wright had made it to within striking distance towards the heat’s end but her chances were thwarted by a three-wave set o the head.
Moore did have a secret weapon of sorts. At pretty much every event her sponsors Red Bull approach a local specialist to assist Moore with her preparation. At this event the duty went to Andrew Sheridan. Sheridan was smiling like a split watermelon after the final but played down his role in the victory. “Basically my role was to reassure her and help her determine where the best waves were going to break … Margarets is a tough wave to read and all week we’ve been working on lineup references.”
Aussie favourite Steph Gilmore went down in the semis but kept that winning smile. Pic: natesmithphoto.comCarissa was obviously ecstatic to be back in the winner’s circle after an indifferent 2012. When quizzed about the prospect of reclaiming her world title, the Hawaiian surfer had a quick-draw cliché at the ready to deflect the pressure. “Obviously it’s a great stepping stone but it’s a marathon not a sprint, despite what everyone says.”
In all reality the women’s title race this year is more like a football game where the posts can be shifted multiple times. Only four more events are confirmed – Bells, Brazil, Taranaki-New Zealand and Biarritz-France.
However, a further three events are up in the air. That means you can never be sure just how far in front or behind you are in a world title race because once another event is confirmed or cut, the scenario changes.
Whether more events are confirmed or not, right now it looks like being a four way race between Tyler Wright, Carissa Moore, Sally Fitzgibbons and Steph Gilmore. They are first to fourth respectively on the ratings and a cut above the rest at the moment. The good news is that the girls just keep getting better and better.
