2001/07/15 Rosa wins Mr Price Pro title for Brazil
Mr Price Pro 6 Star ASP World Qualifying Series (WQS) Event #24 of 55 North Beach, Durban July 9 - 15, 2001 Peterson Rosa today became the first Brazilian ever to win a surfing event in Durban when he snatched victory in the dying seconds of the six star rated, R800 000 (US $100 000) Mr Price Pro at North Beach.
The 26 year-old dedicated his triumph to all the Brazilian surfers who have come to South Africa over the past two decades to compete in ASP events. “Not only me, but the whole of Brazil will be stoked – it’s been many years – the first time a Brazilian come here and win”, he said when asked how he felt at the awards ceremony, broadcast live to the nation by etv. “It’s always a great crowd and great people to support us.
Thank you to Shea, Cory and Tim, ” he added after raising his R80 000 (US $10 000) winner’s cheque aloft. The final started with a flurry of rides by brothers Shea and Cory Lopez from Florida and Californian Tim Curran in the choppy 1.3 metre (4ft) waves at the north end of the beach. Rosa chose to sit alone on the usual peak at the south end and the move paid off when he caught a ride that enabled to perform twice as many manoeuvres as his opponents. Shea Lopez took the lead with a 8.0 ride where he jammed in four vertical backhand off-the-lip moves at the 10 minute mark, leaving Rosa needing 6.91 to take the lead while Cory needed 9.6 and Curran a combination of two rides for 11.06 at that stage.
The status quo remained as first Cory and then Curran opted to move into the center of the beach to try and find waves with scoring potential. This paid off for the younger Lopez when he found the power to complete a spectacular aerial 360 that netted him 6.93 and moved him to within 6.94 of the lead.
Ironically the last laugh went to Rosa when the man who lost out to a last second ride by Simon Law in 1997 gave Shea Lopez the same treatment with a ride at the one minute mark that included two gravity defying floaters for 7.13 pts and victory by 0.27 pts Shea held on for second place with Cory third and Curran in fourth. His 2 500 ratings point haul rocketed Rosa from 53rd to 13th position on the latest ASP WQS rankings with fellow Brazilian Paulo Moura taking over the ratings lead from Australia’s Mick Fanning thanks to his 25th place finish in Durban.
The final of the Red Pro Junior, staged immediately prior to the Mr Price Pro finale, was won by Hawaiian future superstar Fred Patacchia Jr, 19, who pocketed R20 000 ($2 500) of the R80 000 ($10 000) of the prize-money on offer in the grade two rated ASP world junior tour event. Patacchia finished ahead of Durbanites Peter Nicholson and Shaun Gossmann, and East London’s Simon Fish, who finished in that order, after being granted a wildcard into the event by the sponsors.
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