Connor O’Leary downs Nathan Hedge to claim Murasaki Quiksilver Jeju Open of Surfing Title

Connor O’Leary downs Nathan Hedge to claim Murasaki Quiksilver Jeju Open of Surfing Title

Australia’s Connor O’Leary took out the inaugural Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) 2-Star Murasaki Quiksilver Jeju Open of Surfing after putting on a superb performance to get the better of his fellow countryperson’s Nathan Hedge in the Final that went down at Jungmun Beach in Jeju Island, Republic of Korea, on Saturday, June 16.

“The waves were really fun at the start of the Final,” O’Leary said during his post-Final interview. “Then the tide turned and got a bit more difficult, luckily I got some good scores early in the heat and they were enough to give me the win. This is a huge result for me, it’s the best I’ve ever done at a contest.”

The showdown turned out to be epic, with both the surfers putting on a splendid performance to try and get their hands on top honours.

Even though the Japanese surfers had stolen most of the limelight since the start of the event, it was the Australian talent that eventually managed to make into the Final.

The surfing conditions prevailing at the primary event site on Saturday afternoon saw the return of two-to-three foot waves, promising to wrap up the first-ever ASP-sanctioned event in the Republic of Korea with an exciting finish.

With a winning prize of $5, 000 and up to 500 ASP ranking points on offer, both O’Leary and Hedge were expected to push the limits during their face-off in the Final.

As the battle got underway, both the surfers wasted no time in getting right down to business, making their determination to win apparent from the word go.

Hedge locked his first business-wave in the opening minutes of the heat to post an 8.00 on the score-board and soon went on to back it up with an 8.50-point ride to reach a heat-total of 16.50 points.

O’Leary, however, turned out to be in an even better form. The young Australian sensation unloaded a series of exquisite tricks on his first business-wave to earn a 9.00 for the effort. Keeping the momentum going, he went on to collect a near-perfect 9.50 off his second business-wave to finish with a heat-total of 18.50 points. The score held up until the end to see him through to victory.

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Posted by Muhammad Qasim Hassan on Jun 22 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.