ADRIAN BUCHAN WINS THE 2013 BILLABONG PRO TAHITI

Translation: Heido Sundstrom

Australian surfer, Adrian Buchan, beat 11-time world champion Kelly Slater at the 2013 Billabong Pro in Tahiti. Teahupoo brought powerful 6 ft. waves and perfect tubes in the close final that marked the sixth of ten events on the ASP World Championship Tour.

Buchan achieved high scores in each of his five eliminating heats, arriving at the final in excellent form and with a lot of confidence to face off against Slater. He scored an 18.94 compared to the 17.90 of Slater, a small difference in points but enough to be crowned champ.

Buchan has been competing for eight years against elite surfers from around the world and this is his second victory against Slater.

“I knew I had to rise above the rest today,” Buchan commented. “I had to face well-known surfers and each time I paddled I told myself I only needed to catch two waves, that was my mindset through each heat and it worked pretty out good.”

The next stop of the ASP World Championship Tour (WCT) will be the Hurley Pro in Trestles, California on September 15th – 21st, 2013.

FINAL RESULTS:
1 - Adrian Buchan (AUS) 18.94
2 - Kelly Slater (USA) 17.90
 
SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
SF 1: Adrian Buchan (AUS) 18.67 def. Mick Fanning (AUS) 15.80
SF 2: Kelly Slater (USA) 16.73 def. Kai Otton (AUS) 7.67
 
QUARTERFINAL RESULTS:
QF 1: Mick Fanning (AUS) 12.07 def. Josh Kerr (AUS) 7.06
QF 2: Adrian Buchan (AUS) 19.17 def. John John Florence (HAW) 17.33
QF 3: Kai Otton (AUS) 16.54 def. Julian Wilson (AUS) 13.90
QF 4: Kelly Slater (USA) 16.86 def. Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) 8.66