Josh Kerr Flying High After Winning the Boost Mobile SurfSho
Josh Kerr (AUS) winner of the ASP Specialty Boost Mobile SurfSho
BONDI BEACH, Sydney/Australia (March 13, 2011) – ASP World Tour aerial surfer Josh Kerr wowed the judges in the finals of the Boost Mobile SurfSho, at Bondi Beach today, taking out the top prize and reaffirming his status as the world’s number one aerial surfer.
Kerr takes home $25,000 in prize money for winning the Boost SurfSho, which is the richest prize purse aerial surfing event in the world.
The 26-year old, from Coolangatta on the Gold Coast, competed against the cream of International surfing, beating world number two Jordy Smith; world number four Taj Burrow and two-time event champion Owen Wright, during the three-day aerial surfing extravaganza.
When receiving his trophy on the Boost Mobile SurfSho podium, Kerr said: “I’ve had an awesome time down at Bondi these past few days. My film premiere last night and now this title along with $25k, it’s as good as a weekend gets. Great location, great crowd, great day!
On the competition he added: “I thought Jack Freestone had the title there for a while but I lucked out with that winning wave and in tough conditions did just enough to take the title. These young kids are coming up through the ranks and all gunning for you so it challenges me to keep things fresh and come up with new tricks. The win helps keep my name out there and is a real confidence boost for the rest of the year.”
Kerr surfed strongly in the final, with three strong waves. He won the event with a forehand mute grab air reverse that scored him a 9.0 (out of a possible 10) from the judges who said it was beautifully executed with great rotation. His closest competitor was Junior World Champion Jack Freestone who scored an 8.0 for the same manoeuvre, followed by Julian Wilson with a score of 7.23.
Bondi Beach provided a stunning backdrop for the event today, with bright blue skies and crystal clear water. The surf offered clean conditions with 2-3 foot waves. More than 30,000 spectators lined the beach to watch the final and soak up the festival atmosphere.
In contrast to a traditional surfing competition, the day’s format followed a unique format in which a wheel was spun at the start of each heat, dictating which aerial tricks the surfers had to perform. Surfers received points out of ten for their best trick in each heat and the top six ranked surfers went into the final.
John Shimooka, event spokesperson said: “We’ve seen some awesome aerial action this weekend at Bondi, executed by the world’s best surfers. The thousands strong crowd soaked up the sun and surfing fun and all the surfers had a blast. It’s great to see the event even bigger and better this year and we look forward to seeing the world’s best here again for the biggest
yet in 2012.”
Final Placings -
1st Josh Kerr
2nd Jack Freestone
3rd Julian Wilson
4th Chippa Wilson
Jordy Smith and Owen Wright equal 5th
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