Jordy Smith wint de Billabong Pro J-Bay 2011

Jordy Smith was het hele evenement al on fire en benutte zijn golven maximaal. Uiteindelijk wist hij met zijn lokale kennis de beste golven te pakken en versloeg daarmee Mick Fanning in de finale om voor de 2e keer in zijn carrière het de J-Bay Pro te winnen. Het ASP klassement is hierdoor ineens veel spannender geworden. Joel Parkinson staat nu op 1, met Jordy op zijn hielen.

Hieronder het officiële persbericht.

JEFFREYS BAY, South Africa (Sunday, July 24, 2011) – Jordy Smith (ZAF), 23, has taken out the 2011 Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay in a hard-fought Final over Mick Fanning (AUS), 30, in front of the raucous and hardy hometown crowd on the beach and hundreds of thousands watching online.

Event No. 4 of 11 on the 2011 ASP World Title season, the Billabong Pro culminated in dramatic fashion today with “victory at sea”, three-to-four foot (1 – 1.5 metre) surf and the world’s best surfers displayed their comprehensive abilities to shred anything from yesterday’s perfection to today’s challenging conditions.

Smith continuously posted impressive scores throughout his Quarterfinal, Semfinal and Final heats, but it was his local knowledge that allowed his to select the best waves in the Final to overtake an in-form Fanning. The win was met with an eruption from those in attendance braving the harsh weather, and Smith was cheered up the beach to an emotional audience.

“It’s been an incredible week for me,” Smith said. “All the support of the people at Jeffreys Bay, Garth (Tarlow), Steve (Smith), my girlfriend Lyndall (Jarvis), my mom and dad and everyone else. It’s been a really special week for me and I’m so happy right now.”

Moving from 5th to 2nd on the ASP World Title rankings, the young South African is now firmly in the hunt and will utilize the confidence attained today to propel him through the latter half of the year.

“Mick (Fanning) has surfed amazing all week,” Smith said. “He’s always an inspiration and he’s right there with everyone in the hunt for the title. Today’s a huge win for me. Last year, it was very emotional. To back it up this year just feels really, really good. It’s huge for my confidence and I’m looking forward to the rest of the year.”