Aussies still ride high in race for world title
AUSTRALIANS Sally Fitzgibbons and Tyler Wright are in the box seat to claim the women’s world surfing title as the season comes down to the anticipated big-wave event in Maui next month.
The pair both lost semi-finals at the World Surf League stop in Hossegor, France at the weekend as Hawaiian Carissa Moore made up some championship ground when she took out the event.
Moore beat American Lakey Patterson in the final.
But the equal-third showing was enough to keep Fitzgibbons at the top of the standings, with Wright in second.
A win in Hawaii by either will be enough to claim the title, regardless of how their competitors fare.
American Courtney Conlogue (fifth in France, third overall) is in the best position to displace the pair, with Moore and Australian six-time world champion Stephanie Gilmore needing some significant results to go their way for a title play.
Moore’s opening 8.67 in Hossegor laid the platform for her close victory over Fitzgibbons, while a 9.43 to Peterson did the job against Wright in the second semi-final.
“Carissa got the jump with that first 8.67 and it was tough to find one, in the end I needed that nine-point wave,” Fitzgibbons said of her close loss.
“I feel like my surfing was there, I really just didn’t bump into the opportunity. I have the desire, I want to win events and be on that podium.”
It was a good result for Wright who came off a difficult week in Portugal where she sustained a knee injury prior to the event.
She’ll head to Hawaii as the defending champion and with a real shot of claiming back-toback world titles.
“I’ve actually enjoyed the journey of this injury,” Wright said. “It’s actually pushed me forward at an accelerated rate.”
In the men’s event, Brazil’s Gabriel Medina beat Sebastian Zietz of Hawaii in the final.
Australians Mick Fanning and Joel Parkinson both advanced to the last eight where they lost to John John Florence and Medina respectively.
The Brazilian crushed Zietz in the final 16.00 to 9.30.
Tyler Wright’s brother Owen had lost to Zietz in the fifth round.
Florence will take the tour leader’s yellow jersey into the next stop in Portugal.