Gabriel Medina is your 2015 Quiksilver Pro France champion. Photo: WSL / Poullenot
After two very long lay days at the 2015 Quiksilver Pro, the semifinals kicked off this morning with an absolute bang. Bede Durbidge and Gabriel Medina rose to the top and were set to duke it out in one of the most fabled beach breaks of Southwest France. But like most competitions, there can only be one winner. And today that winner was Gabriel Medina.
Medina was in true World Champion form the entire event, and the final heat with Bede was no different. The Brazilian didn’t waste a minute of the final, as he came out of the gates by posting a 9 and an 8-point ride early in the round, leaving Bede in a combo situation for the remainder of the heat.
Bede sought to play the waiting game, but his patience in the inconsistent conditions left him unable to chase a pair of 9s in order to get the better of the defending World Champion. Bede now sits in 11th place heading into Portugal.
Conditions on the final day weren’t exactly the Southwest France we saw in the earlier rounds of competition, but Medina (by no surprise) was able to find a few great rides and post some excellent scores. This win marks Medina’s first CT victory of the 2015 season, and one that he dedicates to his late, great grandfather, who recently passed away. Medina now sits in 5th place heading into Portugal.
As equally impressive as Gabriel’s feat was Australia’s Tyler Wright who defeated Tatiana Weston-Webb in the final heat of the 2015 Roxy Pro.
Congratulations to both Gabriel Medina and Tyler Wright, your 2015 Quiksilver Pro/Roxy Pro champions!
