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AN emotional Billy Stairmand has dedicated his Gold Coast Open win to his late mother, as the New Zealand surfer capped his perfect week at Burleigh Point.
Stairmand yesterday edged Lennox Head rival Stuart Kennedy in the men’s final in 2-3 foot waves.
Stairmand scored a heat total of 15.30 (out of a possible 20) as Kennedy was left frustrated by a lack of waves.
“It feels crazy, it feels really good,” said Stairmand.
“I’ve been having a great week, staying with some friends, looking after myself and eating good food. I knew Stuey was a gnarly competitor, and the waves haven’t been too big so it could’ve been tough. I’m not too big though so I work well in small waves.
“I’d like to thank my mum, who passed away a couple of years ago. To win the event on Mother’s Day is pretty special, I’m sure she was looking down at me.”
Runner-up Kennedy was stoked with second and holds high hopes for the year.
“I’m hoping I can carry this momentum into future events, like the QS10,000s and stuff. I would like to requalify for the world tour, I feel like that’s where I belong,” he said.
Kirra Belle-Olsson (Avoca Beach) won the women’s division, defeating Dimity Stoyle (Maroochydore) in a thrilling final heat.
“It feels amazing to win
today,” said Olsson. “I had a pretty slow start to the year, so I’ve been working hard the last few months – just to get back into the winning formula. I definitely think I’ve found it at this event.
“Now that I’ve won this I can go to America, so I’ll probably head over there for a month then maybe Mexico after that.”
Dimity Stoyle was philosophical about her secondplace finish.
“It definitely feels better than last,” said Stoyle.
“It feels really good. I love this wave, I love Burleigh – it’s such a great place to hold an event. It was a lot of fun to have an event here at home in Queensland.”