Congrats to Joel Parkinson on his Quiksilver Pro Win at Gold Coast Australia

KIRRA, Australia (Wednesday, March 11, 2009) – Joel Parkinson (AUS), 27, has won the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast presented by LG Mobile, defeating fellow finalist Adriano de Souza (BRA), 22, in solid six-to-eight foot (3 metre) surf at Kirra.

After a 12-year hiatus, today’s action brought the ASP World Tour back to Kirra for the Finals of the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast. Whilst it was not classic Kirra, the challenging conditions at the historic pointbreak offered churning barrels with massive scoring potential.

Parkinson, winner of the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast in 2002, was fearless from the outset in the hard-fought Final, collecting an excellent 8.83 out of a possible 10 on his opening ride, breaking his board in the process.

The hometown favorite would return to the lineup to collect a bevy of high scores, including a 7.50 and an 8.17, before nailing his second perfect 10 of the day, pushing his heat total to an unsurpassable 18.84 out of a possible 20.

Parkinson now sits atop the ASP World Tour ratings, in excellent position for his 2009 campaign for the ASP World Title.

QUIKSILVER PRO GOLD COAST FINAL RESULTS:

1 – Joel Parkinson (AUS) 18.83

2 – Adriano de Souza (BRA) 11.30

QUIKSILVER PRO GOLD COAST SEMIFINALS RESULTS:

SF 1: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 19.93 def. Mick Fanning (AUS) 17.66

SF 2: Adriano de Souza (BRA) 14.84 def. Taj Burrow (AUS) 5.34