Mick Fanning has conquered the Rip Curl Bells Beach 2014, in two-to-four foot surf at Winkipop, Victoria, Australia.
The all-Australian final saw Fanning coming up against an in-form Taj Burrow, who had just defeated John John Florence, one of the standouts of the early rounds.
Burrow logged a few small scores, while Fanning waited patiently for a quality set wave. Fanning would not falter on his opening ride, surgically dismantling the righthander for an excellent 8.83. The reigning two-time ASP World Champion's precision continued, adding an additional 8.00 to his scoreline.
Burrow was in need of big scores entering the back half of the heat and the veteran would deliver, blitzing a steep wall with tail-drifting turns for a near-perfect 9.63, clawing his way back in to the heat.
But with no notable set to match, Fanning was able to use priority to his advantage for the remainder of the heat, holding on to claim his third Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach title.
"After that result (13th) in Margaret River I went home and worked really hard and I'm so pleased that the hard work paid off. Congratulations to Taj, I've never been so nervous for nine minutes of my life, he surfed amazingly," says Mick Fanning.
"We got to surf everywhere at this event which was awesome, we got to surf the Bowl, Rincon and to finish at Winkipop. It's always been my dream to surf a Heat at Winkipop. This is such a special event for me and I feel comfortable here. With the calibre of surfers on Tour at the moment there's never an easy heat and it keeps it so exciting."
Rip Curl Bells Beach 2014 Final:
Mick Fanning (AUS) 16.83 def. Taj Burrow (AUS) 13.46
Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach Semifinal:
Taj Burrow (AUS) 14.43 def. John John Florence (HAW) 13.43
Mick Fanning (AUS) 18.20 def. Julian Wilson (AUS) 17.36