Pancho Sullivan : photo Bielman/SPL
 

Xcel Pro
Presented by Honolua

ASP 4 Star Men's WQS Event
Sunset Beach, Oahu Hawaii
26 October - 10 November 2008

Live Coverage  |  Results/Photos/Videos etc

Pancho Sullivan Wins 2008 Xcel Pro Presented by Honolua

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 6 November, 2008 : - - Haleiwa -- Congratulations Pancho Sullivan, winner of the 2008 Xcel Pro Presented by Honolua!2008 Xcel Pro. In an all-Hawaiian, high-scoring 30-minute final, ASP World Tour surfer Sullivan took home his fourth Xcel Pro title, having previously won the event in 1998, 2000, and 2003.

Sullivan dominated from the start, hitting a contest-high 9.77 that put him firmly in the driver's seat over fellow finalists Kamalei Alexander (2nd), Danny Fuller (3rd), and Makua Rothman (4th).

"Epic," "pristine," and "all-time" were just a few ways used to describe the glassy morning conditions, as a new northwest swell came in overnight and brought clean, corduroy lines to Sunset Beach. Sets were firing from the very first scored wave by Marco Giorgi (Uraguay), who lined up a barrel less than 3 minutes into his heat.

The long period swell stayed clean through the finals, challenging riders to stay in position off Sunset Point for optimal set wave selection.

Finalists : photo Bielman/SPL

"I held back and paddled a little deeper," Sullivan said after the winner's ceremony on the beach, on his strategy to move outside of Sunset's west peak. "The third [9.77] wave of the set really helped me build momentum," as he soon built upon his lead with another crowd-pleasing 8.67.

Runner-up Kamalei Alexander of Kauai, needing a 9.45 to overtake Sullivan in first, wasn't able to catch the four-time Xcel Pro champion, taking off on an 8.70 in the final seconds of the heat. "It was a fun, amazing final," Sullivan noted. "The best final ever here, and such an honor to win the 25th anniversary Xcel Pro."

The win surely vindicated Sullivan's decision to bypass the World Tour's Hang Loose Santa Catarina Pro in Brazil, and instead focus on competing at his local break. Raised (in his words) "surfing the reform" at Sunset Beach, Sullivan prepared for his Xcel Pro win with smart training on his home turf.

Sullivan has announced his plans to retire from the prestigious World Tour at the end of this 2008 season. 2007 Xcel Pro defending champion Joel Centeio's quest for a repeat title ended in the quarterfinals, falling to Makua Rothman, who made his third Xcel Pro finals appearance in as many years.

With the 2008 Xcel Pro a wrap, the North Shore now heads into the prestigious Vans Triple Crown of Surfing. Full 2008 Xcel Pro results, video highlights, photos, and more are available online.

Pancho Sullivan : photo courtesy Xcel

2008 Xcel Pro Presented by Honolua Final Results
1. Pancho Sullivan $10,000 (1,500 pts)
2. Kamalei Alexander $5,000 (1,313 pts)
3. Danny Fuller $3,000 (1,125 pts)
4. Makua Rothman $2,400 (1,069 pts)

Check the Full Results

ASP WQS ratings after event #43, the Xcel Pro presented by Honolua

1	Curran,Nathaniel	USA	13200
2	Davidson,Chris	AUS	12525
3	Kling,Gabe	USA	12301
4	Kerr,Josh	AUS	12075
5	Boal,Tim	FRA	11888
6	Pires,Tiago	PRT	11750
7	Courtney,Drew	AUS	11600
8	Emslie,Greg	ZAF	11463
9	Lipke,Marlon	DEU	11450
9	Weare,David	ZAF	11450
11	Gudauskas,Patrick	USA	11438
12	MacDonald,Phillip	AUS	11263
13	Bettero,Hizunome	BRA	11125
14	Muscroft,Nic	AUS	11075
15	Romao,Simao	BRA	11000
16	Bourez,Michel	PYF	10900
17	Barca,Dustin	HAW	10826
18	Andre,Jadson	BRA	10738
19	Nicol,Yadin	AUS	10675
20	Khodr,Jihad	BRA	10575
21	Bacalso,Kekoa	HAW	10476
22	Monteiro,Raoni	BRA	10425
23	Henrique,Pedro	BRA	10263
24	Alves,Heitor	BRA	10250
25	Cansdell,Shaun	AUS	10150
26	Gossmann,Shaun	AUS	10138
27	Paulino,Pablo	BRA	10100
27	Simpson,Brett	USA	10100
29	Yeomans,Nathan	USA	10050
30	Atkinson,Dion	AUS	9976
31	Neves,Leonardo	BRA	9925
32	Dantas,Wiggolly	BRA	9838
33	Garcia,Sunny	HAW	9825
34	Sedley,Leigh	AUS	9775
35	Robertson,Adam (Vic)	AUS	9552
36	Ware,Austin	USA	9550
37	Melling,Adam	AUS	9450
38	Dornelles,Rodrigo	BRA	9275
39	Duru,Joan	FRA	8913
40	Thompson,Jay	AUS	8888
41	Ross,Daniel	AUS	8813
42	Sodre,Yuri	BRA	8700
43	Hall,Glenn	IRE	8675
44	Gonzalez,Jonathan	CNY	8625
45	Centeio,Joel	HAW	8501
46	Cardoso,Willian	BRA	8425
47	Silva,Andre	BRA	8388
48	Losness,Mike	USA	8375
49	Cuizon,Dustin	HAW	8325
50	Wilkinson,Matt	AUS	8225
51	Logie,Travis	ZAF	8213
51	Ohno,Masatoshi	JPN	8213
53	Hedge,Nathan	AUS	8175
54	Miranda,Bernardo	BRA	8126
55	Silva,Jean da	BRA	8100
56	Wright,Warwick	ZAF	7988
57	Beven,Patrick	FRA	7950
58	Bombaci,Rhys	AUS	7925
59	Gudauskas,Tanner	USA	7726
60	Zubizarreta,Gony	ESP	7675
61	Ziems,Corey	AUS	7650
62	Souza,Adriano de	BRA	7594
63	Savalli,Hugo	REU	7475
64	Flintoff,Kirk	AUS	7450
65	Gudauskas,Dane	USA	7426
66	Galvao,Renato	BRA	7288
67	Acero,Eneko	EUK	7275
68	Polo,Marco	BRA	7263
69	Hansen,Bobby	NZL	7150
70	Coutinho,Odirlei	BRA	7100
71	Aranburu,Aritz	EUK	7076
72	Thornton,Blake	AUS	7075
73	Mariano,Adilton	BRA	6925
74	Padaratz,Neco	BRA	6900
75	Collazo,Hodei	ESP	6888
76	Ward,Shaun	USA	6776
77	Benson,Tonino	HAW	6775
78	Fahrenfort,Damien	ZAF	6738
79	Bastos,Leandro	BRA	6688
80	Laulhe,Romain	FRA	6675
81	Wilson,Blake	AUS	6632
82	Gillette,Gavin	HAW	6625
83	Belo,Jano	BRA	6614
84	Rebiere,Eric	FRA	6550
85	Toth,Brian	PRI	6538
86	Barron,T.J	HAW	6526
87	Stang,Che	USA	6525
88	Bortoletto,Antonio	ZAF	6513
89	Campbell,Ryan	AUS	6506
90	Sullivan,Jarrad	AUS	6444
91	Payne,Dusty	HAW	6382
92	Herdy,Guilherme	BRA	6375
93	Rothman,Makuakai	HAW	6344
94	Kennedy,Stuart	AUS	6289
95	Kimmins,Clint	AUS	6288
96	Fisher,Paul	AUS	6275
97	Costa,Danilo	BRA	6238
98	Riou,Alain	PYF	6188
99	Farney,Marcio	BRA	6174
100	Waring,Chris	USA	6101

Check the Full Ratings

About the Xcel Pro
Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, the 2008 Xcel Pro Presented by Honolua is a 4-Star ASP WQS event with a $80,000 purse, drawing pros and amateurs alike to world-class Sunset Beach along the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii.

Honolua Surf Co. is the presenting sponsor of the 2008 event and is joined by associate sponsors Kustom, VonZipper, and Fuel TV. Fuel TV will produce the official Xcel Pro television special airing exclusively on their network. Surfing Live produces this year's Webcast, streaming live action and results to viewers around the world. Vitamin Water and Surf News Network, Oahu's local surf forecasting service and the official contest hotline, also support the event.

About Xcel
Founded in 1982, Xcel International, Inc. (Xcel) is a global wetsuit brand distributed throughout the Americas, Europe, Asia, and the Pacific Rim. Headquartered on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii, Xcel's core wetsuit business focuses on the cutting edge of material and design development. Xcel's primary markets include surf, dive, wakeboard, paddle, and sun (UV Performance Gear).

In addition to its North Shore office, Xcel has retail stores on Oahu and Maui, and a warehouse/repair facility in California.

Previous reports:
# 1 : Xcel Pro by Honolua launches site & releases seed list..
# 2 : Xcel Pro kicks off in large, challenging Sunset Beach surf
# 3 : Xcel Pro Day #2 competition heats up at Sunset Beach..
# 4 : Xcel Pro likely to see late-week finals with forecast swell 

www.xcelwetsuits.com
www.aspnorthamerica.org
http://xcelpro.xcelwetsuits.com

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