Peruvian world champion Sofia Mulanovich knows she will be up against an incredibly talented and hungry field of elite women surfers in the Roxy Pro presented by Boost Mobile when she sets out to defend her newly acquired crown on Australia’s Gold Coast. The world’s top 17 female competitors commence the 2005 Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP), World Championship Tour (WCT) in the famous point break waves of South East Queensland from March 1st - 13th.

At just 21 years of age Mulanovich has enjoyed a meteoric rise from child prodigy in the run-down coastal town of Punta Hermosa, Peru to being a nation’s hero on the world stage. Since securing the women’s world title in November 2004 at the Roxy Pro Haleiwa, Hawaii, Mulanovich has been presented the coveted Laurels Sport Award by President Toledo of Peru, honoured with a plaque at the national stadium and voted Peru’s most popular person of 2004.

Mulanovich halted the reign of former six times world champion Layne Beachley’s (Dee Why, Aus), winning three of last year’s seven WCT events. Following her 2003 ’Rookie of the Year’ performance, she made the quantum leap to world champion in just one season. With her face across every major newspaper and magazine in Peru, the positive and fun-loving Mulanovich is focusing more on the competitive year to come than the accolades.

"The Roxy Pro is one of the most seen (tournaments) on the whole tour. It’s a huge event, there is a lot of people, a lot of media, everyone is watching you," said Mulanovich in her Peruvian slanted English. "It’s great, you know, it’s an opportunity to actually prove that I am the world champion, that I can surf good and that I can, just back it up. It’s a good opportunity for me and I am going to take it and try my best."

"I think it’s going to be really hard. To be honest it’s going to be a tough year. I am going to try my hardest and train my hardest to try to focus a lot. Everyone knows that I really admire Chelsea (Georgeson) she is a great surfer and she is going to be a tough competitor this year. Also Rebecca Woods, she is ripping it, she has been killing it these last two months she has improved so much, its scary. Also Layne, (Beachley) she wants the title back and I know that she wants to get it back and also Rochelle (Ballard) wants it. They are all great surfers. I know it is going to be hard."

Beachley, 32, passed the torch with all the style of a true champion taking first place in the 2004 Roxy Pro in Haleiwa over Mulanovich. Following Beachley’s record achievement of six consecutive world titles, she lacked the same intensity in the first half of 2004. With her enormous talent and experience Beachley will be coming back hungry and without the added pressure that the title brings.

"This is the first year that I have come in as the hunter instead of the hunted," said Beachley who won the 2003 Roxy Pro on the Gold Coast. "If anything, there is less pressure but no one has ever put more pressure on me than myself. I still expect a lot from myself to perform and compete at the highest level. I, still feel I have the ability to win events."

"I am more relaxed and looking forward to the start of the year. Given how busy my off season has been going on tour for me is like going on holidays."

Former world no. 2 Serena Brooke (Gold Coast) is back in the WCT line up after an injury hampered re-qualifying campaign and is expected to come out firing. Other top contenders include defending Roxy Pro champion Jacqueline Silva (Brazil), Samantha Cornish (Crescent Head, Aus) world no.2 Rochelle Ballard (Hawaii), Melanie Redman-Carr (West Australia) and local Snapper Rocks surfer Trudy Todd.

The one wildcard awarded to the winner of the Roxy Pro Trials will be thrown straight into the deep end up against Mulanovich and one other WCT surfer in the opening round. The eight trialists are Queensland Championship Circuit (QCC) winner Lauren Ringer (Sunrise Beach, Qld), QCC runner-up Lorianna Blavlock (Aus), ASP Australasian junior series runner-up Stephanie Gilmore (Kingscliff, NSW), Caroline Sarran (Fra), Amee Donohoe (Central Coast, NSW), Carly Smith (Byron Bay, NSW), Roseanne Hodge (Sth Africa) and new Hawaiian sensation Carissa Moore (Haw).

Twelve year old Moore is being touted as Hawaii next women’s surfing prodigy after making history by winning three divisions in the American scholastic titles in California last year. The young gun has triumphed when competing against her male counterparts and also included a few WCT scalps to her impressive list of conquests. The Roxy Pro trials will be staged February 28th.

The Roxy Pro presented by Boost Mobile will be staged in conjunction with the Quiksilver Pro presented by Boost Mobile the opening Foster’s men’s WCT event.

Both WCT’s will be webcast live daily in five languages. The live webcasts also include unique camera angles (water and land), highlights and replays, scoring updates, early a.m. shows and afternoon wrap ups.

One of many features of the webcast will be the panel style ’Live at 5’ show broadcast over the web at the completion of each day of competition. The show hosted by Quiksilver commentators John Shimooka and former world champions Martin Potter and Barton Lynch will wrap up the day’s event with special guests, hi-lights, antics, forecasts, interviews, insights and lots of laughs. On competition lay days a down sized version of the ’Live at 5’ show will be broadcast at 8am local time with competition hi-lights and updated forecasts. Just log onto www.quiksilver.com

The Quiksilver Pro presented by Boost Mobile and the Roxy Pro presented by Boost Mobile are made possible by the support of the Gold Coast City Council.

Both tournaments will feature the speciality award of the ’Evian Longest Tube Ride’ worth Aud5000 for the winning male and female surfer to slot into the best Gold Coast barrel of the tournament.