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Boardfolio.com >> ASP World Tour News >> Brooks Wins Trials; Slater Forced To Withdraw

Quiksilver Pro Fiji (May 25 - June 6) www.quiksilver.com Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) www.aspworldtour.com World Championship Tour (WCT) Press Release Brooks Wins Trials; Slater Forced To Withdraw May 25, 2003 (Tavarua & Namotu Islands, Fiji) Australian Troy Brooks won a hard-fought Quiksilver Trials today to gain a place in the main event of the US$250,000 Quiksilver Pro at Fiji's Cloudbreak Reef. Clean 3-4ft (1.3m) surf greeted the opening day of the World Championship Tournament (WCT), with seven heats of round one completed this afternoon. Hawaiian Fred Patacchia and South African Travis Logie also progressed though to the first round of the Quiksilver Pro by placing second and third in the Quiksilver Trials final. Japanese surfer Masatoshi Ohno was narrowly eliminated after placing fourth in the trials final. Ohno fought a last-minute battle with Logie for the crucial third and final wildcard, but his last score of 4.87 fell one point short. Tahitian Alain Riou and Australian Damon Harvey were eliminated in the semi-finals of the Quiksilver Trials when they placed third. Local Fijian surfers Waqa Matia and Aca Ravulo - son of local Tavarua Chief Druku - were also eliminated in the semi-finals with fourth placings. Brooks, Patacchia and Logie join former two-time world champion, Tom Carroll, of Sydney, Australia, as the four wildcards to take on world's Top 44 surfers in the 2003 Quiksilver Pro. Brooks, who placed equal fifth in the 2000 Quiksilver Pro Fiji as a wildcard, today locked in two quick rides to take an early lead of the Trials final and secure his main event berth. "I had a bit of luck to get a couple at the start and then it turned into a bit of a chess game. My tactic was to try to get a good one at the start. I got a couple of scores so I could afford to sit and wait for better waves." Meanwhile, six-time world champion Kelly Slater (Florida, USA) today withdrew from the Quiksilver Pro due to a foot injury sustained last week in Tahiti. Slater, who has one broken toe and another dislocated, was hoping to be able to compete with the aid of painkillers, however decided to not risk further injury by competing. After his win in the Tahitian WCT last week, Slater is sharing equal ratings lead with reigning world champion Andy Irons, from Hawaii. His withdrawal allowed Trials third place getter Logie the opportunity of a lifetime. After the trials, organizers decided to start round one of the Quiksilver Pro and seven heats were completed before a fierce tropical rainstorm stopped competition. No surfers are eliminated in the opening round, though winners advance directly into the third, while losers' battle it out in the sudden death second round. Heat winners included Kalani Robb (Haw), Luke Egan (Gold Coast, Australia), Paulo Moura (Brz), CJ Hobgood (Florida, USA), Peterson Rosa (Brazil), Kieren Perrow (Byron Bay, Australia) and Jake Paterson (Yallingup, Western Australia). Robb said he was happy to post a first-up win and move straight into the third round, especially as he hadn't surfed for a week. "And today was the first time I have surfed Cloudbreak in a year, so it was a good start," he said. The Hawaiian defeated Australians Phil MacDonald (Tomakin, NSW) and Toby Martin (Dee Why, NSW). Egan had a strong win over Brazilian Danilo Costa and fellow Australian Chris Davidson. The powerful goofy footer - who won the 2000 Quiksilver Pro Fiji - scored the highest total of the day with 17.46 out of 20 pints (scoring a 9.13 and an 8.33). "There weren't many barrels out there so turns were going to score today," Egan reasoned. "My first 6.6 I was a bit rusty as my timing was a little out, but I got a bit better on my 8.33 and my timing was pretty much perfect on the last one for a 9.13. I was pretty stoked with my last score as I gradually worked up to it. "I only arrived in Fiji last night and I pulled the cobwebs out at the old Cloudbreak," he laughed. Meanwhile, fellow Gold Coast surfers Mark Occhilupo and Dean Morrison weren't laughing today as they made a decision to delay their arrival in Fiji and ended up missing their first round heats when the event was called on. "With the forecast looking a little bit average for the first part of the 13-day waiting period, it was a pretty good call to start the event." Egan said. "It's good to get a win first up but you can't get too relaxed. I've got a few days off now but I just have to make sure I stay on the ball and get ready for that third round heat." Brazilian Paulo Moura won heat three, defeating Australian Tom Whittaker, with a no-show from Dean Morrison. "I heard that some of the guys didn't expect to run on the first day so they decided not to come," Moura said. "I feel really comfortable as with my win I've gone straight into the third round. I've been coming to Tavarua since I was a kid and I really enjoy surfing out here and I'll do my best to get a great result here." Former world champion CJ Hobgood (Florida, USA) won heat four, defeating Australians Luke Stedman (Whale Beach, NSW) and Nathan Hedge (North Narrabeen, NSW). The Floridian said he was having problems doing decent turns on his waves. "I tried on my first few waves and couldn't really get anything done so I was hoping a few sets would come and I could get a couple of barrels and see what I could do," he explained. He did exactly that, getting barreled to take the lead. During the heat, Hedge was hit by his surfboard underwater at the end of a ride. The impact split his lip, which later required stitches. Organizers will make a decision early tomorrow morning as to the day's schedule, with nine heats remaining in round one. You can follow the event daily on http://www.quiksilver.com

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