Bells Beach, Victoria (April 1st 2023): It was a winner takes all event at Bells Beach today as Kobie Enright (Tweed Heads, NSW) and Xavier Huxtable (Torquay, Victoria) claimed the two prestigious wildcard positions into the WSL World Championship Tour Rip Curl Pro.
In solid 2m (6 feet) surf both Enright and Huxtable posted excellent scores in their respective finals and were dominant throughout finishing comfortably ahead of their rivals.
Enright opened her final with a near outstanding 8,8 ride and by the half way stage found another excellent 7.8 ride, leaving her opponents chasing a combination of two scoring rides to challenge her massive lead. Late in the final USA surfer Alyssa Spencer found a strong scoring 7 point ride to finish runner-up in a final where only the winner takes the prized wildcard.
Kobie Enright’s win today culminates an amazing week for the fast-emerging Tweed Coast surfer. Her 3rd placing in last week’s event in Newcastle saw her finish the Australian regions top ranked Qualifying Series surfer which also qualified her for the international Challenger Series and her win today sees her into the Championship Tour Rip Curl Pro and facing off against the World’s best surfers beginning on Tuesday!
“I love surfing Bells Beach because it really does offer the opportunity to perform multiple big powerful moves which I feel really suits my surfing style” said Enright after her win.
” It’s been an incredible week for me personally and now I’ve won the trials and I’m into the Championship Tour event – It’s just amazing how much has happened and I I am super excited.”
Enright will face USA pair Carissa Moore (Olympic Gold Medalist and 5-time World Champion) and Lakey Peterson in a very challenging Round one heat.
Local favorite Xavier Huxtable showed he will be a very dangerous surfer as he again prepares to face the world’s best at his home beach at Bells.
It will be Huxtable’s second appearance in the Championship Tour event – He won a wildcard back pre covid as a pro junior surfer in 2019 and that year he went very close to defeating Kelly Slater in his round two heat.
Four years on, Huxtable is now a mature and extremely powerful surfer performing well on the qualifying tour and he stormed through today’s trials with his trademark power moves to take today’s win. Huxtable now gets the chance to face world number 1 Jack Robinson (Aus) and Kelly Slater (USA) in a much-anticipated Round 1 heat.
“I am really looking forward to competing on surfing’s big stage again,” said Huxtable.
“I am certainly better prepared to face the world’s best and in my home waters in front of family and friends is such a great experience – I’ll give it my absolute best.”
Full results can be found online at www.surfingvic.com/live
The official waiting period for the Rip Curl Pro begins on Tuesday with the event window extending through to Friday April 14.
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