FLORIANOPOLIS, Santa Catarina (Sunday, July 12, 2009) - The young Brazilian Gabriel Medina (15) has taken out the win at the ASP WQS 6-Star Maresia Surf International at Mole Beach in Florianopolis today, defeating Brazilian veteran Neco Padaratz (32) after putting on an amazing display of frontside surfing and big aerials.

The young Brazilian, only 15-years of age, walked away with US$20,000 in prize money and 2,500 ASP WQS ratings points for the win, becoming the youngest surfer ever to win an ASP WQS event. With a heat score of 15.83 out of a possible 20, Medina proved the surfer of the event and deservedly took the title of Maresia Surf International.

In a beatiful sunny day with messy three-to-four foot conditions waves, the Brazilian goofy-footer was in amazing form, blasting some vertical maneuvers and big aerials on his way to victory. Medina officially announced his intentions when he logged a 7.50 to take early lead. Neco quickly answered back with a 5.50 and a 6.50 with solid backhand attack.

With five minutes to go, Medina arrived back in the lineup he found himself sitting directly in the path of a long left. Medina squared up and went vertically up the face to smash a huge re-entry, racing down the line and with two additional turns secure a high score of 8.33 points out of a possible 10 and leave Neco needing a 9.33 score to win.

With no waves coming, Neco was unable to found a high score, and Medina was crowned the 2009 Maresia Surf International Champion.

"I’m really happy to have won this event here at Mole Beach," Medina said. "I’d just like to thank all my friends and everyone who was on the beach today supporting me, especially my dad who always belive on me. When I was out in the water, I just concentrated on surfing as well as I could because I knew it will be really hard to surf against Neco in his home break, so I am really happy to have won such a prestigious event."

Medina has been in great form the entire event, eliminating a host of big name surfers on his way to the grand final of Maresia Surf International and the second place of Neco marked the return of the one of the best Brazilians surfers ever after a serius injury to his back. Neco has already won two ASP WQS events sponsored by Maresia in the past.

“First I would like to thank the city of Florianopolis and everyone from my state," Padaratz said. "I had dreamed of being back to this place and be on the podium again, so thank everyone who believed in me. The thing that I most love in my life is surfing and 1 year ago I thought that I could never do that any more. It was a great battle to be here again, much crying, great suffering, without sponsorship, but God gave me this new opportunity and now I have another chance to continue surfing."

The International surfers were eliminated in the hard-fought Semifinals of the event. In the first Semis, new school standout and winner Gabriel Medina took on Hawaiian Dusty Payne (20), who got seriusly hurt in his back after his Quarterfinals heat.

“I hurt my back in my last heat,"Payne said. "I don’t know what happened, but I couldn’t even walk. I wanted to be in the Final, but’s is okay. A good result for me and now I just want to recover for the next event in Rio."

In the second Semifinal of Maresia Surf International, Australian Matt Wilkinson found himself having to contend with an in-form Padaratz.

The result marks the third time that Wilkinson finished in third this year on the ASP WQS.

“I still happy for sure," Wilkinson said. "I got 1,875 points which is pretty good, but I’m still a little disapointed because this is my third third this year, so I would like so much to make it through. I got one last wave in the end but the judges didn’t give it to me. My goal for this year is to qualify for the ASP World Tour, so I hope continue surfing good and make another good results to reach the ASP Dream Tour next year."

With the completion of the ASP WQS 6-Star Maresia Surf International, Brazilian Jadson Andre is the new ASP WQS ratings leader. Despite not reaching the Final and losing to Neco in the Quarterfinals, Andre was happy with his fifth place in the contest and with the lead in the rankings.

"Neco is a very experienced man," Andre said. "He surfed in a different place in the water and he was lucky that the waves came for him. I am now in the lead of the tour, but all the other guys are really close. Now I just want to think and get another good result at Saquarema to increase my advantage."

Next stop on the 2009 ASP WQS Tour will on this Tuesday at Saquarema, Rio de Janeiro State, with a 6-Star event.