SUNSET BEACH, O‘ahu — Carissa Moore, 17, of Hawai‘i, won the sixth of seven stops on the ASP Women’s World Tour Saturday, the Gidget Pro Sunset Beach. Finishing fourth in the event was Kaua‘i’s Alana Blanchard, 19, who is also
SUNSET BEACH, O‘ahu — Carissa Moore, 17, of Hawai‘i, won the sixth of seven stops on the ASP Women’s World Tour Saturday, the Gidget Pro Sunset Beach. Finishing fourth in the event was Kaua‘i’s Alana Blanchard, 19, who is also the Vans Triple Crown ratings leader.
Second place went to Australia’s Sally Fitzgibbons, while third was fellow Australian and ASP world champion Stephanie Gilmore, stated a press release from ASP.
Moore, who entered the Gidget Pro via a Trials’ victory, stamped her authority on ASP Women’s World Tour competition when she surfed with amazing poise and maturity throughout the event’s entirety to eventually win on her home island of O‘ahu.
“It’s such an honor,” Moore said. “I’m speechless right now. I never thought that I would make the final in this event. All of the girls were surfing so well and congratulations to Steph (Gilmore) for winning the World Title.”
Moore is no stranger to ASP Women’s World Tour competition despite her young age, and has already made the finals at a Roxy Pro Gold Coast event in 2007 when she earned a runner-up finish to Chelsea Hedges, 26.
Having entered previous ASP Women’s World Tour events in the past as a wildcard, the young Hawaiian looked comfortable in the heightened level of competition.
“It definitely helps having other World Tour experience under my belt,” Moore said. “I also know surfing on the North Shore is always going to be challenging and the girls surf at such a sick level and each heat is a clean slate.”
The Hawaiian talent also looked comfortable out in the tricky lineup of Sunset Beach and had been receiving some crucial coaching under the wing of Hawaiian legend Pancho Sullivan.
“My coaches have been such a big help,” Moore said. “Having Pancho out in the water helping me was great.”
Blanchard, who is currently leading the Vans Triple Crown ratings, continued to flare throughout Gidget Pro competition and wrapped up a fourth-place finish. Her final appearance was no easy task, as she defeated ASP Women’s World No. 2 Silvana Lima, 25, crushing Lima’s hopes of an ASP Women’s World Title while significantly helping her own chances of requalification for the 2010 ASP Women’s World Tour.
“I feel bad that I knocked out Silvana, but there’s also a lot on the line for me,” Blanchard said. “If I don’t do well at the end of the year, I’ll get knocked off of the tour for next year. This is my best result of the year, so I’m happy.”
Fitzgibbons nabbed her first final appearance of her rookie year on tour and absolutely dominated her bouts, posting the event’s highest scores, including the only perfect 10-point ride of Gidget Pro competition in the semifinals to earn her maiden final berth and finished runner-up to Moore.
“I was really happy to get that wave,” Fitzgibbons said. “It was tricky. There were not that many waves in that heat and I was happy to get the score and move on through to Final.”
Gilmore, who clinched her third consecutive ASP Women’s World Title just minutes before paddling out for the Final, was in amazing form throughout the event’s entirety and claimed a third place finish overall.
“There were some legitimate bombs coming in out there,” Gilmore said. “I was on a 7’0” all day and just stayed on the North Peak and I knew Carissa has been training with Pancho, so I figured I’d follow her around a little bit.”
