QUIKSILVER’S JOAN DURU AND DC’S MARC LACOMARE DOMINATE WORLD SURFING ON HOME TURF.
In soaring summer temperatures this Sunday afternoon, local riders from the Quiksilver and DC family Joan Duru and Marc Lacomare turned up the heat on their competitors to put in scorching performances and claim respective victories in the Rip Curl Pro Junior 3-star and the WQS 6-star Sooruz Lacanau Pro.
The first final to take advantage of the spectacular 4-5-foot, offshore waves hitting the Landes coast was the Rip Curl Pro Junior held at Seignosse Le Penon, a local haunt of 18 year-old Marc Lacomare. Marc, from Hossegor, trains tirelessly at the beach break but his rival in the final, John John Florence from Hawaii is widely regarded as one of the best surfers of his generation. The route to the podium would not be an easy one.
In the quarter-finals of the event, also held this morning, John John Florence neatly illustrated this point when he scored an incredible perfect 10, which he backed up with an almost-perfect 9.87 to take him into the semi-final. Marc Lacomare won his semi-final against Basque surfer Jatyr Berasaluce by a nail-biting 0.24 but he was, it seems, saving his best performance for the final.
A huge, excited crowd of friends, family, supporters and rivals lined the water’s edge at the height of the day’s searing temperatures and as the tide turned, perfect offshore walls pushed over the sandbank. The two surfers from opposite sides of the world paddled out to complete three days of top quality surfing for the most highly rated contest of the ASP Junior Pro Tour.
John John Florence clearly had his wave magnet charged, taking wave after wave to notch up 11 rides in total and a combined score of 9.67. Lacomare, on the other hand, displayed a professional level of patience and selection. Choosing only two waves in total, Lacomare scored an 8-point ride, backed up by a 4.67. Despite the Hawaiian’s best efforts, it was quality and not quantity, laced with invaluable local knowledge that won in the end. Lacomare emerged victorious and the crowd’s cheers reverberated along the beach towards his hometown of Hossegor. A stunned and ecstatic Lacomare took to the podium to claim his prize money and an electric guitar for his efforts to end a day that he will never forget.
The very same afternoon, 150 km north on the same Aquitaine coast, Joan Duru took to the water to compete in the final of the prestigious Sooruz Lacanau Pro. In the 6-star event, Duru, just 20 years of age and from Ondres would have qualified to compete in the Pro Junior but instead stepped up against some of the world’s best surfers to take part in the WQS event. Going into the competition, Duru had already proved his level of ability as he ranked tenth on the WQS, forging a path towards the ASP World Tour next year. He then illustrated his dominance in Round 5 of the event when he defeated teammate, close friend and ASP World Tour surfer, Miky Picon to progress to the quarter final against Brian Toth. His heat tactics and knowledge of French beach breaks took him onward to the semi against Matt Wilkinson from Australia and straight into the final.
Perfect 4-foot, offshore conditions greeted the surfers for the final and some of the best waves, according to Logie, that have greeted the surfers on the WQS this entire year. Thousands of spectators gathered on the shoreline to watch the action and they were not disappointed.
Travis Logie had been surfing with impressive power leading up to the final, having defeated Americans Austin Ware and Patrick Gudauskas in the quarter and semi-finals. As an ex-member of the elite Top 45 and a seasoned competitor with more experience of the man-on-man format, it seemed Logie had the edge over his younger rival. Joan Duru, however, had other ideas.
Opening his score account with a 7.33, Duru was bolstered by local support and surfed with panache. Logie, who is attempting to return to the upper echelon of surfing in the Dream Tour, eventually answered with a 7.23 that would count as one of his best wave scores by the time the hooter sounded. Performing huge vertical top turns and impressive manoeuvres, Duru upped the ante by posting a 9-point ride. This, backed up by a 7.47 would seal his victory despite the best efforts of Logie and an 8.07 score. Victorious in front of his home crowd, a jubilant Duru was carried up the beach to claim his $20,000 prize cheque and the all-important points.
Duru commented afterwards, “I am just so happy right now, I wanted to win so bad I am really over the moon and can’t really realise the result yet. I felt quite under pressure throughout the event and until the semi-final I was just very focused and anxious but I managed to get over it for the final and I really let go to surf at my best. Travis never let go of me and he is an impressive competitor so I really played my game and used priority and it finished perfectly.”
Duru’s win is the first for a French surfer in the event for 27 years. This was the 30th anniversary of the Lacanau Pro, which began 10 years before Duru was even born. His stunning result, which catapults him to seventh on the WQS rankings brings his aspirations of joining the world’s 45 best on the ASP World Tour in 2010 ever closer to becoming a reality. The performances of Duru and his friend Marc Lacomare illustrate how far French surfing has come in recent years and its significance on a global scale.
Gabe Davies
SOORUZ LACANAU PRO FINAL
1st, Joan Duru (FRA), 16.47 pts
2nd, Travis Logie (ZAF), 15.30 pts
SOORUZ LACANAU PRO SEMIFINALS
Heat 1: Travis Logie (ZAF) 14.60 pts Def. Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 10.76 pts
Heat 2: Joan Duru (FRA) 11.17 pts Def. Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 10.03 pts
SOORUZ LACANAU PRO QUARTERFINALS
Heat 1: Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 15.43 pts Def. Leonardo Neves (BRA) 7.50 pts
Heat 2: Travis Logie (ZAF) 18.24 pts Def. Austin Ware (USA) 10.00 pts
Heat 3: Joan Duru (FRA) 13.24 pts Def. Brian Toth (PRI) 9.76 pts
Heat 4: Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 14.04 pts Def. Adam Melling (AUS) 11.66 pts
ASP WQS TOP 10 AFTER SOORUZ LACANAU PRO
No. 1, Daniel Ross (AUS), 14975 pts
No. 2, Jadson Andre (BRA), 13350 pts
No. 3, Owen Wright (AUS), 12838 pts
No. 4, Adam Melling (AUS), 12801 pts
No. 5, Patrick Gudauskas (USA), 12513 pts
No. 6, Matt Wilkinson (AUS), 12150 pts
No. 7, Joan Duru (FRA), 12050 pts
No. 8, Brett Simpson (USA), 11863 pts
No. 9, Travis Logie (ZAF), 11326 pts
No. 10, Blake Thornton (AUS), 10826 pts
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