The line up at Snapper. Photo: Matt Dunbar
The long anticipated debut of the World Surfing League Championship Tour kicks off with the Quiksilver and Roxy Pro Gold Coast events. Starting on February 28th, the a waiting period runs through March 11th.
Defending event and world champions Gabriel Medina and Stephanie Gilmore will both be fiercely challenged to defend their 2014 Snapper victories; while battling ferociously to earn an invaluable jump on their rivals toward repeating as world champs in 2015.
In the men’s event, in addition to the growing number of usual suspects, current world #11 Kolohe Andino stands poised as a strong contender for the 2015 Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast title. Since his 2014 Billabong Rio Pro runner up finish, Kolohe has surfed with considerably greater confidence and maturity. Kolohe’s naysayers have all but disappeared with the advent of a transformative power base approach adding to Kolohe’s already solid above the lip surfing repertoire. The three event WSL CT Australian leg of Snapper, Bells, and Margaret River could prove to be just the jump start Kolohe needs to build a sturdy foundation that leads to an extremely successful 2015 campaign.
In the womens’ event, the field is as talent-rich as it ever has been. The second tier of surfers behind Stephanie Gilmore, Tyler Wright, Carissa Moore, and Sally Fitzgibbons are looking to close the gap on the front runners. Depending on how much competitive rust she needs to knock off, current world #12 Silvana Lima has the surfing progression and talent necessary to make a serious run at the 2015 Roxy Pro Gold Coast title.
With an early and solid run of surf on the Gold Coast, the outlook is extremely good for an exciting and memorable contest, both for the Quiksilver and Roxy Pro Gold Coast events. Additionally, pre event speculation is touting that the much beloved Kirra may be firing during the event’s window.
All the Live and On Demand action for both the Quiksilver and Roxy Pro Gold Coast events can be found on the official WSL website.
