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KELLY SLATER WINS UNPRECEDENTED NINTH ASP WORLD SURFING CHAMPIONSHIP

Congratulations to Kelly Slater on winning his ninth world surfing championship in Mundaka, Spain. Dominating five of the season's first eight contests, Slater accrued enough points to clinch the 2008 title with two scheduled Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Tour contests yet to be surfed. Slater's ninth world championship comes 16 years after his first, in 1992, and is his third championship title following a three-year foray into semi-retirement. Slater's win today solidifies what some say is his best season yet in an eighteen-year career, and reaffirms his unequivocal status as the most prolific surfer of all time.

On what his surfing means to him and others Slater remarked, "The rewards have paid off for a lot of work and commitment to surfing my whole life. I'm stoked, I just try to do the best I can with what I've got."

After winning the 2008 season opener at the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast, Slater built momentum over the next six contests, winning 32 of 35 heats surfed going into the Quiksilver Pro France last week, where he placed second. He arrived at Mundaka on Sunday as the presumptive 2008 World Champion, and needed only a ninth place finish to clinch a ninth world title.

About his 2008 season Kelly said "I had a great year, and it's nice to be rewarded like this. But besides that it felt like a great year. A lot of good things have happened up to this point on the tour."

Reflecting on winning the title again at Mundaka, Slater said "It's freezing, but a lot of people showed up to see today, so thanks to everyone who is here. Thanks for being here and being a part of this. It's magic. We have surf and my year is complete."

In 2006, he earned his eighth world title at this same Spanish surf spot. Observers at the time felt it would be his last. But as he was carried today up the rocky Basque country shoreline by friends and cheered by throngs of Spanish supporters on the cliffs above, it was clear that Slater is better than ever.

Asked if he's going to continue surfing Slater said, "Always, surfing is a constant challenge. I'm sure when I'm eighty I'll think I'll be getting better. It is just my life and it never ends."

Slater ascended to surfing's top-spot in the early 1990s, ushering the old guard out with a rare competitive spirit and a never before seen style. He won the world title a record six times between 1992 and 1998. In 2005, seven years after his previous title, Slater made an incredible comeback to win a highly emotional seventh world title in Brazil. Still Slater showed no signs of slowing down. In 2006, Kelly handily won his eighth world title and continued competing, pushing his records further from the reach of second best.

"Kelly Slater is an extraordinary human being, physically and mentally. His talent and accomplishments are unmatched in surfing and perhaps in the history of sports" says Bob McKnight, Quiksilver President, Chairman and CEO.

The nine-time World Champion's victory lap promises to be as action-packed as his 2008 season. This fall, Slater is releasing his second book; a collection of rare interviews and unpublished photos, titled "For the Love" (Chronicle Press). He'll also continue to work on "The Ultimate Wave", a 3D IMAX feature film due out fall 2009. And as surfing's biggest icon and greatest ambassador, Slater will continue to promote a cleaner, safer planet through The Kelly Slater Foundation (www.kellyslaterfoundation.org). Although he'll likely continue visiting the world's best surf spots, he may also catch a few waves at his homes in Florida, Hawaii and on Australia's Gold Coast.

Previous news…

reubyn ash surfs against slater and knox at mundaka

Billabong Pro Mundaka
Stop No. 9 of 11 on the 2008 ASP World Tour
Mundaka, Euskadi/Spain
September 29-October 12, 2008

Update: 2 October. Round 2 Heat 1 saw Reubyn take on Bede Durbidge at Mundaka. Not classic waves but better than the previous day's sloppy beachbreak. Result:

White 1 15.00 Bede Durbidge AUS (A 6.0 and a 9.0)
Black 2 6.93 Reubyn Ash GBR (A 4.00 and a 2.93)

Round 1 of the Billabong Pro Mundaka on at Sopelana

Photo: Sopelana yesterday, conditions are cleaner today.

Bude’s Reubyn Ash surfed in Round 1, Heat 8 on 1 October with Kelly Slater and Taylor Knox in overcast, small and messy conditions at Sopelana, the backup beachie for the Billabong Pro Mundaka. The awful conditions were nothing that Reubs as a UK surfer wouldn’t be familiar with, but he was unable to pull out a good score and finished third.

The commentator at one point called Reubyn “A young local surfer” — no-one really had much idea who he was and most of the interest was centred on Kelly, who was riding a quad and looking relaxed and on form as ever.

The message board lit up with support for Reubs, giving the commentators something to say other than: “Er, don’t really know much about this guy.” Lee Bartlett chimed in with “Newquay’s behind you, frontside air reverse coming up!” but Reubyn didn’t find a wave that offered the chance. “He must be a special talent, you don’t get support like that just from being a nice bloke,” commented the guys in the box, amazed by the messages “pouring” in.

Kelly’s first wave showed him having a moment with the transition on backside manoeuvres on the quad, partly due, no doubt, to the tricky conditions. He soon worked it out, however, picking off loads of quick throwaway scores to settle into the heat with a 6.83 with four solid turns. Kelly is on top of all the 2008 stats, with an 88.1% win ratio on heats. His heat average score is 16.45. It’s no surprise to anyone that he can find flow where other guys can’t.

Four waves in, Slater’s close rival and friend Knox hadn’t caught anything, and neither had Reubyn.

The coverage barely showed Reubyn, but the conditions were clearly frustrating for him. He grabbed a few that started well but it turned to sweet FA.

Slater’s experience showed and he picked up another wave for three turns and a little bash at the end. That backside transition was figured right out! He swung a nice big bottom turn then a snap to get through, then a bottom turn and another snap — perfect release and perfect technique.

Next wave, Slater pulled a huge air. He started with a big hack first up on the open face — hard to find — then with perfect technique punted and landed easily. It was only a two-move wave, but definitely a keeper score, 9.0 to go with the 7.33 from his first proper wave.

With six minutes left there was nothing else for anyone wave wise.

Reubyn got a 1.30, again not shown on the webcast. I guess everyone was praying for just one wave where he could show what he can do, but it just wasn’t to be. Even in the next heat there were more wave available as the tide pushed up a bit. Slater surfed alone on a peak a little down the beach from the others — he’d clearly been watching for where the open face waves were.

Slater grabbed another left and did a backside air, rode out and put in three turns; he finished it off well, but he only got a 5.83.

Reubyn did all right on his next one, putting in a cutback, banging it off the oncoming section, moving through to the inside to try another cutback, but there was no rebound and he didn’t ride out of it. With a 2.20 he was still combo’d, but then so was Taylor!

After the heat, Slater said, “It’s just been one of those years where so many things have fallen into place. I don’t know what to put that down to other than I'm happy, I feel comfortable and I wasn’t too worried about things. I finished the heat and went wow, I’m one heat away. I really hope Mundaka turns on. It’d be a bit of a bummer to finish in these kind of waves. Mundaka would be the spot, it’d be great. ”

When asked if he would skip Brazil if he won the title in Spain, Slater said, “I don’t want to talk about that yet. But I haven’t been home since last November, so I’d like to have some time off.”

Still loads of class surfers to surf today, and as a front rolls in hopefully the expected swell will follow it and the boys can really show what they can do at the world-class left of Mundaka.

Check it out live on www.billabongpro.com

Billabong Pro Mundaka Round 1 Heat Match-Ups:
Heat 1: Kai Otton (AUS), Heitor Alves (BRA), Aritz Aranburu (EUK)
Heat 2: Jeremy Flores (FRA), Mick Campbell (AUS), Ricky Basnett (ZAF)
Heat 3: Adrian Buchan (AUS), Pancho Sullivan (HAW), Nic Muscroft (AUS)
Heat 4: C.J. Hobgood (USA), Roy Powers (HAW), Manoa Drollet (PYF)
Heat 5: Bobby Martinez (USA), Ben Dunn (AUS), Mark Occhilupo (AUS)
Heat 6: Adriano de Souza (BRA), Jordy Smith (ZAF), Eneko Acero (EUK)
Heat 7: Joel Parkinson (AUS), Tim Reyes (USA), Hodei Collazo (EUK)*
Heat 8: Kelly Slater (USA), Taylor Knox (USA), Reubyn Ash (GBR)
Heat 9: Taj Burrow (AUS), Damien Hobgood (USA), Marco San Segundo (EUK)*
Heat 10: Bede Durbidge (AUS), Tom Whitaker (AUS), Txaber Trojalo (EUK)*
Heat 11: Luke Stedman (AUS), Jay Thompson (AUS), Daniel Ross (AUS)
Heat 12: Chris Ward (USA), Rodrigo Dornelles (BRA), Jihad Khodr (BRA)
Heat 13: Dayyan Neve (AUS), Mikael Picon (FRA), Leonardo Neves (BRA)
Heat 14: Dane Reynolds (USA), Tiago Pires (PRT), Travis Logie (ZAF)
Heat 15: Fredrick Patacchia (HAW), Daniel Wills (AUS), Ben Bourgeois (USA)
Heat 16: Kieren Perrow (AUS), Royden Bryson (ZAF), Luke Munro (AUS)

*(EUK) is the abbreviation for Euskadi – the Basque region of Spain.