| Raoni Monteiro wins the O'Neill World Cup |
| Friday, 03 December 2010 10:10 |
|
History was made and written in the ancientbook of surfing. For the first time in 20 years, a South American male surfer has conquered the O'Neill World Cup of Surfing at Sunset Beach. Raoni Monteiro is the man of the moment and follows his fellow Fabio Gouveia who took the event in 1991. Head-high waves were enough for Monteiro. The final consisted of the Brazilian, Hawaii's Granger Larsen, and Australian pair Julian Wilson and Josh Kerr. "It means a lot to me because I've been trying to do good in Hawaii for so long," said Monteiro, who is from Rio de Janeiro". "I'm here in first place right now and I'm very, very happy.It was really challenging today. I just tried to sit out there and I knew when the set comes the wave first breaks on 'Boneyards' out there deep. So I knew if you get the waves that go all the way through you can make some good turns. So I just tried to do that and it worked". "You have to be prepared for every condition so I was prepared and ready for small waves. I'm from Brazil so I know how to surf small waves and I'm very happy". Wilson finished second, Granger third, and Kerr was fourth. The lead exchanged hands multiple times between the top three before Monteiro clinched it with a 7.87 point ride, his best of the final, for a winning total of 14.37 points. It has been an extraordinary time for Julian. Weeks ago he placed third in the first leg of the Vans Triple Crown, in Haleiwa. "I'm not disappointed. I made two finals back to back and it's incredible. The rookie of the year was a great award", said Wilson. The Vans Triple Crown of Surfing now heads for the Billabong Pipe Masters, with a holding period of December 8-20. O'Neill World Cup of Surfing Final: 1st. $20,000 - Raoni Monteiro (BRA) 14.37
|
