Anthony Walsh defeats Eala Stewart to claim ASP 3-Star Maui and Sons Arica World Star Tour Title

Anthony Walsh defeats Eala Stewart to claim ASP 3-Star Maui and Sons Arica World Star Tour Title

Australia’s Anthony Walsh took out the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) 3-Star Maui and Sons Arica World Star Tour after getting the better of Hawaii’s Eala Stewart in the Final that went down at the reef-break of El Gringo in Arica, Chile, on Sunday, June 17.

With his win in the Final, the Australian surfer took home a winning prize of US$8,000 and added 750 points to his ASP World Ranking.

“I'm super happy, it feels unbelievable,” said Walsh. “The waves were incredible and this was one of the best contests I've ever participated in. I live in Hawaii now, but I am definitely coming back here next year. Not just because of the waves, but to defend my title as well, you can count on it.”

The last few days at the menacing reef break of El Gringo had been nothing short of spectacular. The competition field comprising of both local and international talent had put on superb performances to keep the crowd entertained.

Walsh and Stewart had remained two of the event’s standout performers, managing to get the better of their rivals in challenging conditions on consistent basis to smoothly make their way through into the Final.

With three-to-six foot waves on offer on the final day of the competition, the stage was all set to serve as an ideal canvas for the two finalists to push the limit during their face-off for the over-all win.

As the battle got underway, Stewart got busy almost immediately. After going through a few mediocre waves, the Hawaiian surfer got hold of the best wave of the heat to post a 9.50 on the score-board. He soon went on to back it up with an 8.85-point ride, thus reaching a heat-total of 18.35 points.

Walsh, on the other hand, started off slow, but continued to build momentum as the heat progressed. Careful with his wave selection, the Australian young gun stepped up halfway through the heat, riding through a mammoth-sized barrel and emerging cleanly with his hands lifted in the air. The effort earned a perfect 10 from the judges. He soon backed it up with another spectacular 9.45-point wave to reach a heat-total of 19.45 points. The score held up until the end to see him through to victory.

Stewart was ecstatic about his runner-up finish. Despite being just 16 years of age, the young Hawaiian had managed to get the better of some of the most promising local and international talent over the last few days and reach the final stage before succumbing to Walsh. The performance will definitely add to the surfer’s confidence and help him to make an equally solid impact in the years to come.

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Posted by Muhammad Qasim Hassan on Jun 18 2012. Filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.