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& Photo: Sarge
VIVA la Porko! Oui! Oui! (wee,
wee - yes, yes!). “F-ing incredible surfing!”
declared former world champ Martin Potter after the final
of today’s Gotcha Lacanau Pro 6* wqs fixture in the
south of France, in stormy but lean faced 4-6’+ conditions..
Indeed,
Coolangatta’s young maestro Joel Parkinson won in stunning
form, continuing his destined climb towards international
surfing and even worldly stardom. Today’s final between
Porko, Percy ‘Neco’ Padaratz, Taj Burrow and very
impressive Brazilian grommet rookie Marchelo Roche was as
stunning a WQS final as there has ever been, and it was
shadowed by two awesome semi-final encounters as well.
The first exchange stood gutsy Kurt Jacobs
from Harbord of Sydney’s Northern beaches against the
strong Brazilian trio of Fabio Gouveia, Neco Padaratz and
the grommet from the north of Brazil, who is undoubtedly
his country’s surfing messiah – the best talent
since the dynamic duo of Fabio and Flavio hit Newcastle’s
BHP Steel City Pro in 1989. He’s a goofy, just 18,
a quiet and sincere young shredder who hails from an extremely
remote area, but is bound for the downtown spotlight. I
digress – but his emergence is exciting for the continued
global expansion and development of the surfing culture.
Jacobs
hunted an elusive right which was still settling into dredging
mode with the incoming ride. Neco started strong, way strong,
but Jacobs clawed him back mid-heat with what was considered
an underscored 8.03 for several savage hits on a pacey right.
Jacobs did the run around after his clawback
which shunted him from fourth into first. As he jogged down
the beach the crowd rose to clap and cheer him, a trip that
is so heavily appreciated by the surfers. The young Brazilian
rose next to meet the crowd’s vocal challenge and acclaim,
slamming four sick backhand nails tight and fast into the
pocket of what was the first of a following hour of clean
rippable conditions. It was eventually the grommet and the
younger Padaratz who moved into the final from that encounter,
which sadly suffered mostly wobbly faces.
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