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WOMEN COMPETITORS POST INSPIRING PERFORMANCES AT VISSLA SYDNEY SURF PRO

01/03/2018

World Surf League

WOMEN COMPETITORS POST INSPIRING PERFORMANCES AT VISSLA SYDNEY SURF PRO
- FORMER QS6,000 MANLY EVENT WINNER MALIA MANUEL (HAW) FINDS FORM
- JOHANNE DEFAY (FRA) POSTS THE HIGHEST HEAT TOTAL OF THE EVENT SO FAR
- AMERICAN UP AND COMERS PINKERTON AND SPENCER CONTINUE THEIR EPIC RUN IN 2018
- MORE INFORMATION AT WORLDSURFLEAGUE.COM

Caption: Johanne Defay (FRA) posted the highest heat total of the Women's event so far at the Vissla Sydney Surf Pro with an 18.10.
Credit: © WSL /  Matt Dunbar


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Manly Beach, NSW/AUS  (Thursday, March 01, 2018) -  Manly beach has been torn apart by some of Women’s Surfing’s current and future stars at the Vissla Sydney Surf Pro World Surf League Qualifying Series 6,000. In clean 2-to-3 foot waves, the performance bar was being continuously lifted with a steady flow of excellent scores being posted in every heat surfed.

Having found much success on the East Coast of Australia in recent years, former Manly QS event runner-up Johanne Defay (FRA) has a close affinity with this area. The elite Championship Tour (CT) competitor kicked off her 2018 Sydney Women’s Surf Pro campaign in devastating form, posting an event high heat total of 18.10 (out of a possible 20) on her first two waves for a number of epic backhand hacks.

“That felt really good to post a couple of solid scores,” Defay said was disappointed with how Newcastle finished up so to come back and win a heat like that feels really good. The waves were fun out there and really suited my surfing so I’m hoping it is like this for the coming days. It’s always good to come and compete at Manly - it is a great place.

Brazilian dynamo Silvana Lima (BRA) was another big name standout on Day 4 at Manly with her committed display of backhand surfing. Although Lima was in control of the heat in its entirety, she still wasn’t content with her total and went upside down on a critical lefthander and rode out clean to post a near perfect 9.50 (out of a possible 10) and take the heat win with a total of 16.07.

“When I took off on that wave I knew it would have some great sections on it,” Lima said. “I hit the first one and wanted to go hard again and thought why not? Then when I rode out it felt amazing and I knew it would be a big score. The competition here is fierce and that is the sort of surfing we are expected to do to get the big scores.”

Sage Erickson (USA) finished her 2017 CT season in a career-best 8th position. The Santa Barbra local felt she missed opportunities at the end of the year to solidify herself a spot in the top 5. In 2018 she has returned with a more focused outlook and a confidence in her surfing that hasn’t existed before. That winning feeling was ever present after Erickson took her first heat win of the season at Manly today with an excellent two-wave total of 16.46.

“I had such a big opportunity last year to lock into the top 5,” Erickson said. “The last two events got away from me and I was kicking myself, even though it was my best season, I feel like I could have been even stronger. Having goals and expectations is really important and my goal here is to surf more so during that heat I kept super busy. I’m stoked to get a heat win under my belt and I’m really happy to be here in Manly for the Australian summer, it’s beautiful.”

Another Championship Tour competitor who posted an excellent two-wave total to win her heat was Hawaiian Malia Manuel (HAW). The silky smooth natural-footer found a solid rhythm in the running lefthanders to earn herself a 16.16 and a spot in Round Four. Manuel is now one step closer to winning a second QS6,000 event at the iconic Manly Beach, a place where her fellow Hawaiian Duke Kahanamoku introduced surfing to Australia just over 100 years ago.

“I love it here in Manly,” Manuel said. “It’s awesome to represent Hawaii in a spot where ‘The Duke’ introduced surfing too all that time ago, and I’m so happy that WSL, Surfing NSW and Vissla have put this event together so we can come back to beautiful Manly. These QS events are a really good way to warm up ahead of the CT season and work on anything I have planned over the off-season. There is a bit of pressure coming in as a past event winner but pressure is a good way to test yourself so I’m excited to see how the event unfolds.

The future of women’s American surfing looks to be in great hands with 15-year-old Kirra Pinkerton (USA) and 14-year-old Alyssa Spencer (USA) continuing their epic run in 2018. Pinkerton topped her heat to progress over event top seed Nikki Van Dijk while Spencer dominated her match-up posting the highest single wave score of the event so far with a 9.50 to win with a total of 17.10.

“I was super lucky to find that 9.50,” Spencer said. I was actually halfway through moving from one bank to the next and that wave popped up so I was really fortunate to snag that wave. It definitely helps to build my confidence coming up against the older more experienced competitors and winning but I don’t want to get to far ahead of myself.”

Australian surfers Reef Heazlewood (AUS) and Mikey Wright (AUS) dominated the first heats of round four posting impressive heat totals made up of high scoring waves. However, the international contingent proceeded to make up for lost ground as the round went on with Jadson Andre (BRA), Keanu Asing (HAW), Griffin Colapinto (USA), Alex Ribeiro (BRA) and Bino Lopes (BRA) all claiming victory in the following heats. All surfers will make their next appearance in the fourth round.

As part of the event, Vissla will be bringing a celebration of the creators and innovators of surf to the Vissla Sydney Surf Pro. More than 21 of the world's best surfboard shapers will take part in a live shaping demonstration for the masses right on Manly Beach, the heartland of Australian surfing. 

You can visit the craftsmen in their custom pop-up glassed-in shaping bay. Watch, listen and learn from each shaper as they turn a blank of foam into a slick new craft.

The 2018 Vissla Sydney Surf Pro and Sydney Women's Pro will be held from February 26th  - March 4th. For more information, highlights and images, head to www.worldsurfleague.com and on the WSL App.

The Vissla Sydney Surf Pro Is proudly supported by the NSW Government through its tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW. The event will also be proudly supported by Vissla, Northern Beaches Council, WSL and Surfing NSW.  

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