Joel Parkinson wins the 50th Annual Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach. Photo: ASP/Kirsten
Joel Parkinson jumped to number two in the World Title rankings after defeating Mick Fanning at the 50th Annual Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach.
“I definitely feel like I’m back,” Parkinson said. “I feel like I’m surfing better than I was back in ’09 before I hurt my ankle. I’m feeling fit. I have some really good boards under my feet, and I’m excited for the rest of the year.”
While Parkinson’s win introduced a bit of parity into the 2011 ASP World Tour, Kelly Slater retains the top spot despite his 5th place finish. “A fifth isn’t that bad a result,” said Slater. “But when all the guys who you expect to be in the world title hunt finish higher than you it feels like a 17th.”
The Final: Mick Fanning vs. Joel Parkinson
In the women’s division, Sally Fitzgibbons won her first World Tour event by defeating Carissa Moore in the final. Moore and Fitzgibbons last met in the semi-finals of the Roxy Pro, where Moore was the eventual champion.
Moore is currently ranked first in the world, and Fitzgibbons is ranked second.
The Final: Sally Fitzgibbons vs. Carissa Moore
The World Tour resumes on May 11 in Rio De Janeiro.
Correction: An earlier version of this article misspelled Sally Fitzgibbons’ surname in the title as Fitzibbons instead of Fitzgibbons.
