Medina wins Quik Pro France

Gabriel Medina (BRA), 21, reigning WSL Champion, and Tyler Wright (AUS), 21, have emerged victorious this afternoon, claiming the Quiksilver and Roxy Pro France respectively, in clean four-to-six foot (1.5 - 2 metre) waves at Culs Nus.

 Stop No. 9 on the 2015 Samsung Galaxy WSL Championship Tour, the Quiksilver and Roxy Pro France, delivered a week’s worth of the world’s best surfing, with the WSL elite and the classic Autumn conditions combining for a high-performance surfing extravaganza.

 Medina, who claimed his maiden CT victory in France in 2011, was dominant throughout the 35-minute Final, blasting the clean righthanders with speed, power and progression to post a 17.50 out of a possible 20 and claim an emphatic win. The victory sees Medina move up two places to fifth on the Jeep Leaderboard.
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 “It feels so good, I’ve been trying so hard this year. I’m so stoked, my board felt really good and everything went my way,” Medina said. “I’m really glad to be back on the podium and especially for a win. I’m stoked to be back in France, which has always been good to me. I promised myself I would win an event this year for my grandfather who passed away a couple of months ago. ”

Durbidge, whose form throughout the 2015 Quiksilver Pro France was undeniable, found himself out of rhythm in the final heat of the event, finishing Runner-Up for the second time this season. Durbidge’s French performance moves him to 10th in the world heading into Portugal.
 “I had some really good heats, but the final was just one-sided, Gaby was on every good wave,” Durbidge said. “It was just one of those heats that you don’t want to have again. But I have to just look at the positives, it’s another podium finish and I’m right there for a win, I’ll try to bring it home next time. I love Portugal and have done well there in the past so I look forward to that.”

 Despite an exciting opening heat this morning in which he posted massive scores, Julian Wilson (AUS), 26, was stopped in the Semifinals, lacking opportunities to perform. However, Wilson’s equal third in France provides another excellent result for the Queenslander this season, moving him to 4th on the WSL Jeep Rankings.
 “It was a really good event, we had some nice conditions, France delivered again,” Wilson said. “I love coming here, it’s always throwing different conditions and you’re always changing boards for airs, barrels, turns. You get to do it all so I think it’s a super exciting part about surfing this event.”
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 In an all-Brazilian Semifinal matchup, Adriano De Souza (BRA), 28, seemed in control up until Medina posted his second perfect 10 point ride of the event to turn the table in the dying moments. With a third place under the belt in France, De Souza solidifies second position on the Jeep Leaderboard, well within striking distance of Fanning when the title race resumes in Portugal next week.

“Always a pleasure to surf against Gabriel (Medina) but frustrating to lose in challenging conditions,” De Souza said. “Semifinals is another good result though and I’m excited about the next stop in Portugal. I always feel comfortable there and hopefully we get good waves.”

QUIKSILVER PRO FRANCE FINAL RESULTS:
1- Gabriel Medina (BRA) 17.50
2- Bede Durbidge (AUS) 9.44
 ROXY PRO FRANCE FINAL RESULTS:
1- Tyler Wright (AUS) 17.10
2- Tatiana Weston-Webb (HAW) 10.93
 QUIKSILVER PRO FRANCE SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
SF 1: Bede Durbidge (AUS) 11.73 def. Julian Wilson (AUS) 10.84
SF 2: Gabriel Medina (BRA) 15.67 def. Adriano De Souza (BRA) 12.50
 ROXY PRO FRANCE SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
SF 1: Tyler Wright (AUS) 6.87 def. Sage Erickson (USA) 4.43
SF 2: Tatiana Weston-Webb (HAW) 11.27 def. Carissa Moore (HAW) 3.83
 QUIKSILVER PRO FRANCE QUARTERFINAL RESULTS:
QF 1: Julian Wilson (AUS) 17.00 def. Italo Ferreira (BRA) 9.00
QF 2: Bede Durbidge (AUS) 14.10 def. Mick Fanning (AUS) 12.57
QF 3: Adriano De Souza (BRA) 15.37 def. Owen Wright (AUS) 13.83
QF 4: Gabriel Medina (BRA) 14.43 def. John John Florence (HAW) 13.10
 WSL Men’s Top 10 (after Quiksilver Pro France):
1. Mick Fanning (AUS) 49,900 pts
2. Adriano de Souza (BRA) 49,450 pts
3. Owen Wright (AUS) 43,600 pts
4. Julian Wilson (AUS) 41,450 pts
5. Gabriel Medina (BRA) 40,650 pts
6. Filipe Toledo (BRA) 40,200 pts
7. Kelly Slater (USA) 34,150 pts
8. Italo Ferreira (BRA) 34,100 pts
9. Jeremy Flores (FRA) 33,000 pts
10. Bede Durbidge (AUS) 31,200 pts