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13/03/2005:// Australian Mick Fanning marked a lengthy return from injury with a sensational victory in the final of the opening World Championship Tour event of the season.
Fanning missed most of the 2004 pro circuit after tearing his hamstring in an horrific free-surfing wipeout in Indonesia.
The 23-year-old showed no sign of months of painful rehabilitation out-pointing American rookie Chris Ward to take the Quiksilver Pro title at Snapper Rocks, in Australia.
Fanning made the most of his injury wildcard to win on home ground in front of a Gold Coast crowd of over 8,000
While the mercurial Ward caught anything and everything in the 35-minute final, amassing five waves in the first half of the heat before his opponent had a score on the board, Fanning was content to sit and wait for the waves with higher scoring potential.
Ward caught 14 waves to Fanning's six but the scores were a telling factor. Twelve of the American's waves scored less than four points, while the Australian amassed two eight point-plus rides and two five-pointers.
Fanning finished with 16.93 points out of a possible 20, leaving Ward on 11.90 points and a two-wave scoring combination adrift.
"It made it so much sweeter to come back off injury", said Fanning. "Everything that I'd thought about over the whole six months when I was out of the water, it all worked - I'm just so wrapped, just so stoked."
"I'd waited six months to get a wave so I knew I could wait 20 minutes. I knew there were some high-scoring waves to be had out there. I didn't think this victory would happen but I just tried to stay relaxed all week. I didn't put any pressure on myself, I just really enjoyed the whole time," he added.
The victory puts Fanning on top of the WCT leaderboard going into the second event at Bell's Beach, in Australia, later this month.
Of his world championship lead, Fanning declared: "Like I've been telling everyone all week, it's game on. I'm really pumped."
After 12 years grafting it out on the World Qualifying Series 26-year-old Ward was pleased to have made the final of his first WCT event.
"It was just unreal surfing from Mick," said Ward. "From the start with his first wave to the last, he cleaned it up. It was just really slow out there but Mick got the good ones."
Fanning's casualties on his way to the final included his quarter-final opponent, three-time reigning world champion Hawaiian Andy Irons.
Ward accounted for former six-time world champion Kelly Slater who bowed out in the quarters.
The beaten semi-finalists were Aussies Trent Munro and Tom Whitaker.
Current WCT standings after one event: 1 Mick Fanning, Australia, 1,200 points. 2 Chris Ward, USA, 1,032. =3 Tom Whitaker, Australia 876 points. =3 Trent Munro, Australia, 876 points.
[Carissa Moore (in yellow) receiving the winner's prize]
[The number of high-rated Australian surf competitions are set to increase]
[Pablo Gutierrez winner of the Superbock Pro]
Hawaiian Carissa Moore won the Roxy Pro Junior surfing in her first ever contest in France
ASP International has announce the inception of their fourth regional branch, ASP Australasia
Twenty-six-year-old Pablo Guitierrez took top honours in the Superbock Pro in Portugal after defeating fellow Portugeuse surfer Eduardo Fernandes in the final
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