BELTER OF A COMPETITION GOES DOWN TO WIRE
A WAVE in the last minute of the final has helped Gold Coaster Mitch Rawlins to a win in the Dbah Pro.
Rawlins, runner-up in the event last year, was trailing until the dying seconds of the final against Japan’s Hayato Enokido before snaring the winning score.
While the swell at Duranbah was disappointing, the wind stayed offshore yesterday, leaving clean wave faces, making the conditions contestable.
Rawlins’ victory came in a hotly contested field, with competitors from Australia, Japan, Brazil and South Africa, as well as Hawaiian brothers and multiple world champions Jeff and Dave Hubbard. Gold Coast competitor and Australian Bodyboarding Association tour sponsor through Choice Homes, Ben Peasley, said the Dbah Pro was hotly contested.
“The feedback we’ve had from all the competitors and the sponsors is that it’s the bestrun competition in recent memory,” he said.
World Tour pro Lilly Pollard won the women’s division, beating four-time world champion Stephanie Pettersen, before heading back into the water for a coaching clinic with local juniors. Defending ABA Pro Tour junior champion Liam Lucas won the junior division, with Zac Armytage taking out the drop-knee title.
Peasley said the event wanted to capitalise on the scheduling of a world tour event in Australia next year to continue to grow the stop.