ASP 3 Star pantin classic Galicia PRO

Translation: Heido Sundstrom

Thanks to a powerful reverse and high-speed tricks, Steven Pierson was crowned champion of the ASP 3-Star Pantin Classic Galicia Pro in Pantin, Galicia, Spain, with three foot waves to motivate the competitors.

In spite of his victory, Polynesia proved to be no easy feet for Pierson, who scored mere 1.13 tenths over New Zealander Billy Stairmand who placed second.

At the start of the event, no one bet on Pierson to take the lead, as he is a discreet surfer. But as he passed his heats, Pierson let his surfing do the talking and eliminated talented surfers one-by-one on his way to the final.

“I’m super motivated. My girlfriend and friends came to support me and, fortunately, things went in my favor. My next stop is Azores; my win here will give me the necessary points to be a wildcard. I hope to do well there and raise some points in the standings,” Pierson commented.

Bill Stairmand wasn’t able to reclaim his 2010 title, but stood out in the semifinals with his truly spectacular aerials. When the finals came around, however, just a point and tenths separated him from continuing to the next round.

Carlos Muñoz of Costa Rica ended up placing third and unfortunately couldn’t find the waves to produce his progressive aerial surfing, which, in the previous heats, had given him the victory to fight for the final. “Last year I lost in the second round, so I’m pretty happy with third place today. I came here to train and visualize myself making it to the final. This was a confidence booster and has definitely helped me this week,” Muñoz said.

Jose Ferreira of Puerto Rico took fourth place, reaching the final of a great European event for the first time. This is his first full year in the qualifying series after campaigning at the European Junior Pro. Ferreira showed determination through the early rounds of the competition but just couldn’t find the waves he needed in the final.

The Pantin Classic Galicia Pro was made possible through the support of: Árbol es Vida, Vodafone Yu, Diputación de A Coruña, Xunta de Galicia, Deporte Galego, Concello de Valdoviño, Concello de Ferrol, Garnier Delial, Estrella Galicia, Cabreiroá, Surfing Latino, Novagalicia Banco, Surfer Rule, Pequot, Spotfav, Rockstar Energy Drink, Carrís Hoteles, Intermax, Gadis, Concello de Cedeira, Coca Cola, and the Gallega Surfing Federation, among others.
 

FINAL RESULTS OF THE PANTIN CLASSIC GALICIA PRO:

1 - Steven Pierson (TAH) 16.83
2 - Billy Stairmand (NZL) 15.70
3 - Carlos Muñoz (CRI) 14.37
4 - José Ferreira (PRT) 13.77