The draws are set, and Round 1 for the Women is done. Photo: ASP/Cestari
The official draw has been set for the 2014 Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach. The third stop of the Samsung Galaxy ASP World Championship Tour is set to kick off in Victoria, Australia.
16-year-old ISA World Junior Champion Jacob Wilcox (AUS) will be the Rip Curl Event Wildcard. In the first round he will draw 11-time world champion Kelly Slater (USA) and Kolohe Andino (USA).
“I love coming over to Victoria and am thrilled for the opportunity to surf at the highest level,” said Wilcox in a press release. “I really want to put in a good performance against the top seeds and gain as much experience as possible along the way.”
Cahill Bell-Warren and Zoe Clarke have claimed wildcards into the Rip Curl Bells Beach Pro with their wins in the Building a Healthier Victoria Trials. After competing in small waves at Bells Beach today, Bell-Warren and Clarke will join the ASP Top 34 and Top 17 when the main event gets under way this week.
A Bells Beach native, Bell-Warren used his local knowledge to defeat former WCT surfer Glyndyn Ringrose (Phillip Island) in the final of the trials event. With family and friends on the beach, Bell-Warren took the win with a 16.50 heat score over Ringrose’s 12.10 total. He will draw Joel Parkinson (AUS) and Adam Melling (AUS) in Round 1. Of drawing the 2013 World Champion Parkinson Joel Parkinson, Bell-Warren said:
“Coming up against the top seeds will be fun. They are at the top for a reason and you can learn a lot from them just by surfing against them. All you can do is worry about yourself and the waves you catch.”
Zoe Clarke of Jan Juc claimed a victory over Georgia Fish, Cali McDonagh, and Ella Williams in the women’s trials to earn her spot in the main event. Clarke locked in two scores early on in the heat to take the win. Round 1 of the women’s event saw two-time ASP Women’s World Champion Carissa Moore (HAW) fall to ASP rookie Dimity Stoyle (AUS).
“I’m just taking this event for the experience it is,” she said. “I am just hoping to learn as much as possible coming up against the best in the world.”
Lastly, replacement surfer Glen Hall (IRL) will fill Alejo Muniz’s spot in the event. Muniz has withdrawn from competition due to injury.
