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The surf and the surfers doing Western Australia proud
The Drug Aware Margaret River Pro wildcard entrant Jay Davies, who defeated reigning world champion Gabriel Medina in Round 2 and then world number one Mick Fanning in Round 3, continued his winning streak in Round 5.
The crowd erupted when Davies scored a 9.10, and they did so again when he scored an 8.00 at Surfers Point Mainbreak to defeat Jeremy Flores (France) to secure himself a Quarter Finals spot.
“It’s hard to believe, I just wanted to surf a few heats at The Box, and now I’m in the Quarter Finals – it’s a dream come true,” the Yallingup local said.
Surfing WA CEO Mark Lane said the purpose of the WA Trials, which Davies won to earn himself a wildcard entry into the main event, was to provide development opportunities to Western Australian surfers.
“Jay has done himself and Western Australia proud. He put in a tremendous effort and took advantage of an opportunity that he normally wouldn’t have been afforded,” Lane said.
“Jay has demonstrated exactly why we created the WA Trials – and now, everyone knows what he can achieve when given a chance.”
In the Quarter Final, John John Florence (Hawaii) scored impressively 8.67 and 9.20 to defeat Davies, eliminating him from the competition.
Davies said that this was the best thing he’s achieved in his surfing career.
“It’s been awesome to compete in front of family and friends, I couldn't ask for more.”
When asked for his tip on who will win the Pro, Davies named his defeater.
“I reckon John John could win it. He surfed hard out there and did great. I would really love to see Taj win.”
Western Australian Taj Burrow scored 8.17 and 8.10 to win his Quarter Final against Julian Wilson (Australia).
“I’m stoked. It just kind of snuck up on me and now I’m in the Semis which is awesome,” Burrow said.
“It’s so good that my parents and all my friends are here – I rang my parents after Round 5 because they said they weren’t coming down unless I made it into the Quarters.
“Hopefully we’ll get to finish this at The Box tomorrow,” Burrow said.
Tomorrow’s forecast is promising with conditions looking favourable for the morning competition to start at The Box. The World Surf League Commissioner will make the call at 6.45am tomorrow.
After his Round 4 win, eleven-time world surfing champion Kelly Slater (USA) said that conditions have never been better in Margaret River.
“I’ve been coming here since 1992 and seriously, this is the best I’ve seen it. I mean, we’ve been surfing the Box three days in a row. I’ve been waiting 20 years for these conditions,” Slater said.
“It’s such a beautiful part of the country. The clean air off the ocean, the wineries are great and these great waves – that’s what brings us here.”
Kelly Slater lost his Quarter Final to Adriano de Souza (Brazil). The Brazilian advances into the Semi Finals.
The Drug Aware Margaret River Pro is one of 11 events that make up the WSL Championship Tour, and will be held from April 15 until April 26. Over 12 days, surfers will compete on the days producing the best conditions. Watch the unparalleled adventure, competitive drama and athleticism of professional surfing live at WorldSurfLeague.com.
More than 30,000 spectators are expected and over 3.5 million people will view the event live via the online stream.
The Drug Aware Margaret River Pro is proudly supported by the WA State Government through Tourism WA and Royalties for Regions.
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Taj Burrow. Photo credit: WSL / Cestari
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Media contact:
Dianne Bortoletto, Pronto PR, dianne@prontopr.com.au, 0439 997 075
Notes to Editors
The Drug Aware Margaret River Pro is proudly supported by the WA State Government through Tourism WA and Royalties for Regions.
High res photos available for media use - download from Dropbox here. Please credit: Joli Photos, WSL or Surfing WA as identified
Official website: http://www.worldsurfleague.com/events
Interviews with surfers require WSL approval - please send requests to dianne@prontopr.com.au
Surfline.com is the official forecaster of the WSL - click here for the latest forecast.
The World Surf League Championship Tour was formerly the ASP World Championship Tour
The World Surf League Championship Tour will bring the top 34 ranked male (plus two wild card entries) and top 17 ranked female (plus one wild card entry) surfers to the extraordinary waves of Western Australia. Over 12 days, surfers will compete on the days producing the best conditions.
Media Accreditation:
Local media planning to attend the Drug Aware Margaret River Pro are required to apply for WSL Media Accreditation - click on the Credentials link on the right for the form.
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Past media releases
Local wildcard entrant knocks out world number one - Jay Davies defeats Mick Fanning
Girls' night out - world's best women surfers get a taste of WA
A wild ride for Yallingup duo in WA Trials - results of the WA Trials for a wildcard entry into the main event.
Waves of excitement in Margaret River - big swells predicted, the best event forecast in a decade.
The Drug Aware Margaret River Pro by numbers - stats and fun facts of the 2015 Drug Aware Margaret River Pro
Snapshot: 30 years of the Drug Aware Margaret River Pro - summary highlights of each event held over the past 30 years.
Tips to win the Pro - Past champions, surfing legends, sports identities, politicians and media give their tips on who will win the 2015 Drug Aware Margaret River Pro
Surfers: What I love about Margaret River - Kelly Slater, Mick Fanning, Stephanie Gilmore and Laura Enever and more share what it is about Margaret River that they like, besides the waves.
Joel Parkinson talks all things Margaret River - Joel Parkinson, winner of 2002 Margaret River Pro and 2012 WSL Champion chats with Chris Binns at Bells Beach about Margaret River.
Celebrating 30 years of world-class surfing in WA (note: caption correction: World Surf League reining World Champion Gabriel Medina (Brazil)
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