Aussie surfing legend Mick Fanning has claimed his third ASP World Tour Championship title in Hawaii overnight at the Billabong Pipe Masters In Memory of Andy Irons.
Impressive swells resulting in 10-15 feet waves at the infamous Banzai Pipeline helped secure Fanning’s victory – with the Queenslander scoring enough points to leverage himself over rivals C.J Hobgood, Yadin Nicol and the legendary Kelly Slater – 11 time ASP World Champion. Fanning’s heroic deciding heat against USA’s Hobgood saw the 32 year old pull a stunning and near perfect 9.50 ride mere minutes before the heat’s end – after scoring low in his previous eight waves. “I just got lucky in that last one. I heard the whistles from the boys and I knew it was going to be a big one,” Fanning said, according to SMH.
Fanning’s victory continues the Australian legacy of the ASP World Title, following on from Aussie Joel Parkinson‘s win in December 2012. Whether Fanning’s victory is considered quite as legendary as these surfing swans, however, is still undecided.
On his victory, Fanning said, “If you want to win a world title, you have to put it all on the line. I basically got flogged for 28 minutes of that heat before that gem came through…I got a roll in off of second reef and it set up for a really good section on first reef. Came through at the right time and that was definitely a magic moment for me.”
Huge congratulations to Fanning for keeping the Aussie surfing legacy at the ASP World Tour strong. The Billabong Pipe Masters will continue to stream live here.
Congrats @Mick_Fanning on 3rd World Title! Took us til the end, epic final waves in both heats! #gomick #yeahmick pic.twitter.com/eWhsSrqCiU
— Sandy Galloway (@sandax17) December 14, 2013
Title image by AFP via Getty.
