Granger Larson & Owen Wright : photo Robertson/ASP Covered Images

Billabong ASP World Junior Champs

2007 ASP World Junior Championships

VON ZIPPER WILDCARD TRIALS TO KICK OFF WITH A BANG

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 2 January, 2008: - - Sydney, Australia - Australian hot-shot Owen Wright (Culburra) will boost the country's chances of securing another world surfing championship in 2007 after winning into the Billabong World Junior Championships at North Narrabeen via the Von Zipper Trials.

In epic 1.5-2m walling waves at Sydney’s famed left hand break, 17-year-old Wright dominated an action packed trials final to win one of two wild cards on offer into the world’s richest $USD 64,000 championships which begin tomorrow. The talented goofy footer started with a near perfect 9.00 out of 10.00 and then went into a commanding lead with a 6.80 on his next wave.

“I was looking at the heat draw before this event and I thought to myself, ‘wow I really want to be in that and see what I can do against those guys’,” overall winner Wright said, after posting a near perfect 9.00 (out of ten) point ride in the Final. “We’ve got a great Aussie team this year; I’m stoked to be a part of it and am planning to give it my best shot.”

While his trials opponents Hawaii’s Granger Larsen and Australian duo Maddison Williams (Coffs Harbor) and Reuben Levitt (Palm Beach QLD) jostled for second position, Wright held the lead comfortably for the entire 30-minute-final. At the final siren it was the 17-year-old Hawaiian Larsen who held onto the runner up position and scored the second main event wildcard.  Williams finished third and Levitt fourth.

Owen Wright : photo Robertson/ASP Covered Images

Wright will join fellow Australians Mitchell Coleborn (Maroochydore), Julian Wilson (Coolum), Matt Wilkinson (Copacabana), Heath Joske (Coffs Harbor), Jayke Sharp (Coffs Harbour) and Beau Atchison (Copacabana) when round one of the main event gets under with a predicted good run of swell tomorrow.

They will be looking to secure Australia’s first junior men’s world title since Joel Parkinson in 2001 against a field of 48 competitors that includes world tour surfer Adriano De Souza (Brazil) and surfers from eight world regions. Australia is also well placed to secure the third title running in the junior girls division with NSW teen Sally Fitzgibbons ranked as the sure priced favourite.

Excellent waves peeled across North Narrabeen beach all morning, thanks to the low pressure system currently off the coast of Queensland, and all indications point to a great week of waves ahead.

“We’ve had a lot of swell on the whole east coast over the last four days and looking at the forecast, it should last all the way through the first bits of the waiting period,” Contest Director and former ASP World Tour campaigner Luke Egan (AUS) confirmed this morning. “The weekend could get a little windy so we’re looking to start the event first thing tomorrow morning and run through as many rounds as we can, over the next few days.”

Granger Larson : photo Robertson/ASP Covered Images

The next call will be at 07h30 tomorrow morning for a possible 08h00 start. First heat in the water sees Hawaiian Tonino Benson take on the Japanese duo of Tatsuya Fukagawa and Shu Hagiwara. A total field of 48 junior men, 18 junior women plus four wildcards from eight surfing regions will compete for the coveted ASP Billabong World Junior Men's and Women's Titles.

FINAL TRIALS SCORES
1st:        Owen Wright (Aus) 15.80
2nd:       Ganger Larsen (Haw) 13.75       
3rd:        Maddison Williams (Aus) 13.10       
4th:        Reuben Levitt (Aus) 10.15       

Billabong World Junior Championships Round 1 Junior Men’s Match- ups
Heat 1: Tonino Benson (HAW); Tatsuya Fukagawa (JAP); Shu Hagiwara (JAP)
Heat 2: Dusty Payne (HAW); Charlie Brown (BRA); Nicolau Von Rupp (DEU)
Heat 3: Wiggolly Dantas (BRA); Julian Wilson (AUS); Beau Atchison (AUS)
Heat 4: Charles Martin (GLP); Cory Arrambide (USA); Angelo Lozano (MEX)
Heat 5: Robson Santos (BRA); Brandon Jackson (ZAF); Jean-Heifara Tahutini (PYF)
Heat 6: Tanner Gudauskas (USA); Casey Brown (HAW); Giancarlo Zampieri (BRA)
Heat 7: Mason Ho (HAW); John John Florence (HAW); Casey Grant (ZAF)
Heat 8: Adriana De Souza (BRA); Nick Rosza (USA); Owen Wright (AUS)
Heat 9: Pablo Paulino (BRA); Jatyr Berasaluce (ESP); Yan Guinaraes (BRA)
Heat 10: Matt Wilkinson (AUS); Torrey Meister (HAW); Tamaroa McComb (PYF)
Heat 11: Romain Cloitre (FRA); Clay Marzo (HAW); Kento Takahashi (JPN)
Heat 12: Mitchell Coleborn (AUS); Brandon Roberts (ZAF); Jayke Sharp (AUS)
Heat 13: Chris Waring (USA); Kyle Ramey (HAW); Heath Joske (AUS)
Heat 14: Rudy Palmboom (ZAF); Adrien Valero (FRA); Klee Strachan (ZAF)
Heat 15: Granger Larsen (HAW); Keito Matsuoka (JPN); Brett Shearer (ZAF)
Heat 16: Josh Redman (ZAF); Adam Wickwire (USA); Osawa Nobuyuki (JPN)

Billabong World Junior Championships Girls Round 1 Match- Ups
Heat 1: Pauline Ado (FRA); Marina Werneck (BRA); Coco Ho (HAW)
Heat 2: Courtney Conologue (USA); Paige Hareb (NZL); Tarryn Chudleigh (ZAF)
Heat 3: Nikita Robb (ZAF); Kirby Wright (AUS); Asako Mizuno (JPN)
Heat 4: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS); Laura Enever (AUS); Alessa Cuizon (HAW)
Heat 5: Bruna Schitz (BRA); Sage Erickson (USA); Nao Omura (JPN)
Heat 6: Airini Mason (NZL); Lee Ann Curren (FRA); Leila Hurst (HAW)

Check the Live Coverage

Previous reports:
# 1 : Von Zipper Trials will award WJC wildcards at Narrabeen
# 2 : Lineup for ASP World Junior Championships announced
# 3 : Billabong ASP World Jnr Champs sights on January '08
# 4 : Billabong ASP World Jr Champs bringing best to Sydney

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Simon Barratt
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Kirstin Scholtz
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Photography
Steve Robertson
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