Team News
Jordy Smith heads WQS rankings following fifth place in Maldives
Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 9 June, 2007 : - -
Durban’s Jordy Smith rocketed to the top of the Association of Surfing
Professionals (ASP) World Qualifying Series (WQS) rankings following
his fifth place finish in the R700 000 SriLankan Airlines Pro at Pasta
Point in the Maldives on Friday.
The 19 year-old from Umbilo has now amassed 10 063 points from
his best seven results on the 2007 WQS, more than the surfer who
finished in fifth place on the yearend WQS ratings last year, virtually
guaranteeing him a top 15 finish at the end of this year.
The top 15 from the WQS yearend ratings qualify for the elite
Foster’s ASP World Tour the following year, which is contested by the
world’s top 45 ranked surfers and determines the annual undisputed
world surfing champion.
Smith has also earned US $32 355 (approx R230 000) in
prize-money in 2007, the fifth highest of all ASP members on both
tours, and with more than 10 events carrying R900 000 or more still to
run, he can look forward to substantially increasing that figure.
The phenomenally talented teenager has clinched two world
titles in the last nine months – the open division of the ISA World
Surfing Games in California and the Billabong ASP World Junior
Championships in Australia and was voted South Africa’s ‘Surfer of the
Year’ for 2006, the first time the award has been bestowed.
Smith also received the coveted Vans Triple Crown ‘Rookie of
the Year’ award in Hawaii in December, where he defeated a world class
field when finishing second behind fellow Billabong team rider Joel
Parkinson (Australia) at Sunset Beach. He ended 2006 ranked 26th in his
rookie year on the on the WQS, guaranteeing him a top seeding slot for
this year and won his maiden WQS event in March, the four star Hot Tuna
Pro in Australia.
On his way to fifth place in the Maldives last week, Smith
defeated two of the last three ASP world junior champions, first
eliminating event top seed Adriano de Souza (Brazil, 2003) and then
Kekoa Bacalso (Hawaii, 2005) before being beaten by Hawaiian Dustin
Barca in the quarter-finals.
Greg Emslie (East London) and David Weare (Durban) were the
next highest placed South Africans in the Maldives, reaching the last
48 in the event and finishing equal 25th. The SriLankan Airlines Pro
was won by Brazilian Heitor Alves who defeated Jarrad Howse (Australia)
in the final to pocket US $12 000 (approx R85 000) and 2 500 ratings
points.
Submitted By
Ryan - Magicseaweed.com on the 11th June 2007.
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