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ASP World Tour

Joel Parkinson Wins 2012 ASP World Title

"This is where I wanted to stand at the end of the year"

samedi 15 décembre 2012Information World Surf League

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Joel Parkinson (AUS), 31, has claimed his maiden ASP World Title today at the final stop of the 2012 ASP World Championship Tour (WCT) season, by winning the Billabong Pipe Masters in Memory of Andy Irons. The Billabong Pipe Masters was also the third and final leg of the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing series.

Only Parkinson and reigning 11-time ASP World Champion Kelly Slater(USA), 40, were in contention for the world title heading into the final day. Parkinson needed to finish one position higher to claim the title that has eluded him for the past 12 years. With Slater’s loss to Josh Kerr (AUS), 28, in the Semifinals, Parkinson’s dream became reality. Parkinson went on to beat Kerr in the final.

“Consistency paid off,” Parkinson said. “This is where I wanted to stand at the end of the year. This is what I’ve worked for my whole life. I can’t describe what this feels like. I’ve had runner-ups and ups-and-downs. I’ve been to hell and back and it makes this so much sweeter. All the love from Hawaii and Australia and over the world, I can’t thank you all enough for supporting me.

“Right now, Pipe Master, World Title, it’s all surreal,” Parkinson said. “I figured it was going to be a pressure cooker like a few years ago. I knew there was nothing I could do about it. It was about what I had to do, not about what he had to do. I thought, surely he (Slater) has got to peak because he had that heat with Shane (Dorian) and I knew Kerr is a danger man for him. When Kerr got that one, I felt like I was going to physically throw up. I couldn’t control my emotions at that point.

“One day you wake up feeling good the next day you wake up feeling like a loser. This morning I felt like a Champion when I woke up. Like Andy (Irons) always said ‘I got this, huh ?’ I dedicate this to my family, Dad who used to take me to contests when I was 10, my wife and my mom and kids, this is all for us,” said Parkinson.

Parkinson has been the world title bridesmaid four times (2002, 2004, 2009, 2011). His Billabong Pipe Masters victory is his 11th elite event win over the course of his career, and by clinching the ASP World Title has established himself as one of the greatest surfers of all time.

Slater was reflective following his Semifinal defeat this afternoon and gracious in honoring Parkinson on stage in front of a capacity crowd at the Banzai Pipeline.

“I missed Brazil because I had a cut in my heel and couldn’t really turn,” Slater said. “I figured I’d just rest up and get focused. Probably the one that hurt the worst was Teahupo’o. I made two or three mistakes in a row and Ricardo (dos Santos) got a 9.8 with seven seconds left. I had a bad string over the last few months. It kind of fell apart after France. Portugal was a tough one and Santa Cruz, I was just real wobbly.

“For whatever reason, the momentum went in Parko’s direction. It was cool that it came down to this, it would have been cooler to have it come down to the Final. Joel’s been on tour for 10 or 11 years now and been in the hunt ever since he started. He’s an amazing surfer. He’s just the guy that makes it look easy. He can pull whatever our when he needs to,” said Slater.


Parkinson’s 2012 ASP WCT Results :

  • Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast : 5th
  • Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach : 3rd
  • Billabong Rio Pro : 2nd
  • Volcom Fiji Pro : 9th
  • Billabong Pro Tahiti : 2nd
  • Hurley Pro at Trestles : 2nd
  • Quiksilver Pro France : 3rd
  • Rip Curl Pro Portugal : 3rd
  • O’Neill Coldwater Classic : 5th
  • Billabong Pipe Masters : WINNER

BILLABONG PIPE MASTERS FINAL RESULT :

  • 1 – Joel Parkinson (AUS) 17.17
  • 2 – Josh Kerr (AUS) 14.83
  • SF 1 : Joel Parkinson (AUS) 17.30 def. Damien Hobgood (USA) 14.63
  • SF 2 : Josh Kerr (AUS) 11.13 def. Kelly Slater (USA) 4.90

2012 ASP WCT Top 5 :

  • 1 – Joel Parkinson (AUS) 58,700 pts
  • 2 – Kelly Slater (USA) 55,450 pts
  • 3 – Mick Fanning (AUS) 47,000 pts
  • 4 – John John Florence (HAW) 44,350 pts
  • 5 – Adriano de Souza (BRA) 42,350 pts


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