John John Florence claimed his first victory on the Australian leg of World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour.
The reigning world surfing champion defeated Kolohe Andino in the final of the 2017 Drug Aware Margaret River Pro, held in six-to-eight foot surf at Main Break, in Western Australia.
Florence displayed his powerful laybacks and rail carves to earn two excellent wave scores from the judges. The Hawaiian ended up with a total heat score of 19.03 points, and a new award for his trophy room.
"This is one of my favorite places to come to in the world. There is such an abundance of different and amazing waves. The crowd we get for the event is awesome, and it's just such a special event," expressed John John Florence.
"Surfing against Kolohe in the final was really cool. He used to always beat me in the national events when we were kids, so it was nice to get one back on him."
With this result, Florence jumped to first, and Kolohe Andino moved to third on the WSL leaderboard. The Australian leg continues with Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach.
2017 Drug Aware Margaret River Pro | Final
1. John John Florence (HAW) 19.03
2. Kolohe Andino (USA) 13.60