Billabong Pro Maui awaits swell
HONOLUA BAY, Maui — Although a small pulse of swell was projected to push surf in the 3- to 4-foot range at Honolua Bay later yesterday, event organizers at the Billabong Pro Maui opted to postpone competition until today in hopes of a better swell on the horizon.
The final event of the 2007 ASP Women’s World Tour, the Billabong Pro Maui has only one full day of competition left to run in order to complete the event, and with the ASP Women’s World Title as well as the Vans Triple Crown Award on the line at Honolua Bay, event organizers have chosen to wait until more contestable conditions are on offer.
“We were hoping that the swell would fill in around mid-day today so we could run through the afternoon, but it doesn’t look like it will be arriving soon enough,” Billabong Pro Maui contest director Dino Andino said in a release. “Obviously there is a lot on the line with the ASP Women’s World Title as well as the Vans Triple Crown, so with only one full day left to run, we want to send the girls out in the best possible conditions. We’ll be back at 7 a.m.”
The Billabong Pro Maui has completed the opening two rounds of competition so far, and remaining ASP Women’s World Title contenders Stephanie Gilmore, Sofia Mulanovich and Silvana Lima have all shown they are hungry for the crown, convincingly advancing their way into Round 3.
Kaua‘i surfers Keala Kennelly and Rochelle Ballard are still in the competition. This will be Ballard’s final surfing event as she announced her retirement last week.
In addition to the hunt for the ASP Women’s World Title, the Vans Triple Crown is coming to a close at Honolua Bay, with frontrunners Mulanovich and Hawai‘i’s Megan Abubo tied for the lead.
Despite a horrific abdominal injury sustained at Sunset Beach, Abubo rallied in her elimination Round 2 heat on Sunday to net the day’s high single wave score of a 9.25 out of a possible 10.
Next call will be made today.
For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com or www.triplecrownofsurfing.com
FUEL TV will be broadcasting the Billabong Pro Maui presented by Hawaiian Airlines.
For more information, log onto www.fuel.tv
For the matchups, see today’s Scoreboard on B2.