Julian Wilson and Courtney Conlogue Win Quiksilver Pro and Roxy Pro France
Courtney Conlogue (USA) and Julian Wilson (AUS) celebrate their wins at the 2018 Roxy Pro and Quiksilver Pro France. Photo: WSL / Poullenot
PLAGE DES CULS NUS - Hossegor, Landes, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France (Friday, October 12, 2018) - Today, Julian Wilson (AUS) and Courtney Conlogue (USA) won the Quiksilver Pro and Roxy Pro France, Stop No. 9 of the World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour (CT). The final day of competition witnessed Wilson and Conlogue plow through a stacked field to earn their momentous wins at the 17th running of the iconic French event.
Wilson’s victory in France is his second of the season after the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast earlier this year. Only a month before the 2018 season opener on the Gold Coast, Wilson suffered a serious shoulder injury and it was unclear whether he would be able to compete. The win today proves his determination and the fact that the 29-year-old is not giving up his hopes for a maiden World Title. Wilson now strengthens his third place position with only 4,645 points separating him and World No. 1 Gabriel Medina (BRA).
“My emotions come from dedicating this win to Pierre Agnes,” Wilson said. “He was such a beautiful human being. Thank you, Pierre. All the surfers love you. The moment of silence before the Final shook me, everything he’s done for surfing here in France and I’ve always dreamt of winning this event."
Julian Wilson (AUS) scores a Perfect 10 at the Quiksilver Pro France. Photo: WSL / Poullenot
Conlogue has been fighting her way back to the top following a foot injury that sidelined her for the first half of the season and today’s victory marks a triumphant confirmation of her new-found form following a win at the Vans US Open of Surfing and a fifth-place finish at the Surf Ranch Pro. The Championship Tour veteran, in her eighth year competing with the Top 17, claims her first-ever win in France and the eleventh of her career, pushing her up to No. 8 on the Jeep Leaderboard.
“This whole event has been quite the journey,” Conlogue stated. “I had a lot of fun out there today, the conditions were so clean in that Final and I was just frothing. I had to keep my cool cause I was feeling like a grom! I wanted to be here in this position [with two event wins], but it was a matter of believing and working really hard. I came here with a little injury, but it was good cause it made me slow down a bit and forced me to maintain energy over the lay days."
Courtney Conlogue (USA) claims her first ever Roxy Pro France win. Photo: WSL / Masurel
In a slow start to the men’s Final, Ryan Callinan (AUS) fired first with a good left, hitting the lip multiple times all the way into the shorebreak for a 6.83 (out of a possible 10) and the lead. Following a short interruption due to the evening fog coming through the lineup, Wilson answered with a tail-high full rotation for a 6.67 to tighten up the battle. Just before the 10-minute mark, Callinan laid into a powerful layback snap to grasp the Final’s lead with a 7.40. But Wilson picked up where he left off in the Semifinals and launched a big backhand full rotation for an excellent 8.67 to steal the lead off the wildcard. Time ran out on Callinan chasing a 7.95 and Wilson took the win.
“To share the Final with Ryan (Callinan) was incredible too,” Wilson added. “I loved surfing against (Gabriel) Medina, too. There’s just so much I can be thankful for. I had to bring my A-game to beat Ryan in the final. I’ve lost my first Final here against Medina and I think I hold a grudge since then and this year finally it happened.”
Callinan comes off a tear on the Qualifying Series, culminating with his win at the QS 10,000 in Ericeira two weeks ago, which sealed the deal on his qualification for the 2019 Championship Tour. The goofyfoot from Newcastle perfectly transitioned to the big leagues in this event, showing he deserves a full-time spot with the world’s best surfers. Callinan spent one season on the CT in 2016 but never made it past 9th place back then, and the runner-up result today marks a career-best achievement for the 26-year-old.
“This doesn’t feel real but more like a dream,” Callinan said. “I’m sure it’ll sink in soon though and I’m just so happy to be here and be a part of it in France. It’s really exciting. I couldn’t have asked for anything better [than sharing the final with Julian Wilson], even finishing second to him, I know he’s going for something special and that was a big event for him. We’ve grown to be really good friends and I was happy to share that special moment with him.”
Callinan will have another opportunity to show his place amongst the world elite as the wildcard on the next stop on the men’s CT, the MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal, which opens on October 16, 2018.
Wildcard Ryan Callinan (AUS) turned the Quiksilver Pro France upside down with his incredible run to the Finals. Photo: WSL / Poullenot
The 2018 WSL Title race previously heated up in the men’s second Semifinal as Medina and Wilson fought it out for a place in the Final. The 30-minute heat was an unbelievable exchange of aerial mastery between two of the most progressive surfers on the planet. Wilson launched and landed a crazy inverted backhand rotation to post the event’s first Perfect 10 point ride and defended it with a good 6.67 for the win. Medina fought back with a great wave on which he performed two airs, a straight air with a grab first and a forehand rotation to finish it, but the score came in as a 7.77, short of the 9.01 required score to turn the heat.
Wilson’s incredible performance deprived the 2014 World Champion of a shot at a third straight event win in France and put a stop to his incredible streak on the Championship Tour lately. The 3rd place finish now vaults Medina to first on the leaderboard and he will now wear the yellow Jeep Leader Jersey at the upcoming MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal.
Roxy Pro France winner Conlogue started the Final against Macy Callaghan (AUS) with a massive layback snap on a set wave to post a 7.33 (out of a possible 10) on this single, highly technical maneuver. The Californian quickly backed it up and continued to build momentum, surfing the long rights with her aggressive forehand attack to eventually build a 14.74 heat total (out of a possible 20). Callaghan fought on a similar playing field, catching several good rights but couldn’t quite match Conlogue’s power in the turns or link together a long wave to get back in the fight. With only two average scores on the board, the 17-year-old Australian never really threatened Conlogue for the win.
"I said before the Final that if I can find some rhythm and if the ocean and I can link up and have the same high voltage then I can put in a statement performance, which I think I did," said Conlogue. "It's a huge win in a place I love. I couldn't be happier."
Callaghan, 17, is Australia’s next up-and-coming superstar. As the 2016 World Junior Champion, all eyes have been on the young surfer as she has been given the opportunity to compete on the WSL CT as a replacement for injured CT competitors. Today’s finish marks Callaghan’s career-best result in only her eighth time competing at the most elite level of professional surfing. On the cusp of qualification for the 2019 season, she will undoubtedly be a competitor to watch and a key player in surfing’s next generation.
Injury replacement Macy Callaghan (AUS) earned her breakthrough second-place result at the Roxy Pro France. Photo: WSL / Poullenot
"I had a bad run at the start of the year and Bells was probably the low point,” Callaghan stated. “I was emotional and not in a good place. I wasn't believing in myself or my surfing. I haven't even made the Final of a big Qualifying Series event before, so to make my first Championship Tour Final is unbelievable. I'm disappointed that I didn't perform to my best in the Final, but the bigger picture is so positive. There's been a big change and that is that I believe in myself and my surfing. I've learned so much here in France and had so much fun doing it. I'll never forget this experience."
Callaghan had an amazing road to the Final in France, defeating many great surfers on her way to a career-best result. It started in Round 2 with a victory over Nikki Van Dijk (AUS), continued with a second place in Round 3, eliminating veteran Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) in the process, and two wins over Coco Ho (HAW) and Bronte Macaulay (AUS) in the Quarterfinals and Semifinals.
Three-time WSL Champion Carissa Moore (HAW) started her Semifinal with a good sized right and a beautiful drawn-out carve, finishing the wave with a radical snap for a 7.83 and the early lead. But while her opponent - eventual winner Conlogue - was keeping busy catching waves, the Hawaiian scoured the lineup unable to find a wave to her liking. Moore eventually picked up a wave in the last minute of the heat but it shut down too early and she couldn’t score the required 6.31, placing Equal 3rd and missing her chance to earn a third-straight event title in France.
In the second Semifinal, Macaulay couldn’t keep the excellent form she’s been displaying since the start of the event and was forced to watch Callaghan’s success story continue. The Australian goofyfoot captured a career-second Semifinal berth, the first of her 2018 season.
The final stop on the Women’s WSL Championship Tour will be the Beachwaver Maui Pro. The holding period will open November 25 and run through December 6, 2018. During this time, event officials will monitor the conditions and run the event during the best conditions.
The World Title scenarios are as follows:
- Gilmore will win the World Title with a 3rd or better at the Beachwaver Maui Pro.
- If Gilmore finishes 5th or worse, Peterson must win the event to force a surf-off* for the World Title.
*In the event of a tie for any World Title at the end of the Surfing Season, the tied Surfer will have a “surf-off” during the final Event, which will have the format determined by the Commissioner’s Office.
Quiksilver Pro France Final Results:
1 - Julian Wilson (AUS) 15.34
2 - Ryan Callinan (AUS) 14.23
Quiksilver Pro France Semifinal Results:
SF 1: Ryan Callinan (AUS) 15.30 def. Conner Coffin (USA) 11.43
SF 2: Julian Wilson (AUS) 16.67 def. Gabriel Medina (BRA) 15.44
Quiksilver Pro France Quarterfinal Results:
QF 1: Conner Coffin (USA) 13.50 def. Adriano De Souza (BRA) 7.83
QF 2: Ryan Callinan (AUS) 15.77 def. Jordy Smith (ZAF) 14.03
QF 3: Julian Wilson (AUS) 15.10 def. Mikey Wright (AUS) 14.23
QF 4: Gabriel Medina (BRA) 12.44 def. Sebastian Zietz (HAW) 10.73
Quiksilver Pro France Round 4 Results:
Heat 1: Conner Coffin (USA) 12.50, Jordy Smith (ZAF) 11.20, Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 10.80
Heat 2: Ryan Callinan (AUS) 18.53, Adriano De Souza (BRA) 16.50, Willian Cardoso (BRA) 12.44
Heat 3: Mikey Wright (AUS) 13.96, Gabriel Medina (BRA) 13.90, Michael Rodrigues (BRA) 6.70
Heat 4: Sebastian Zietz (HAW) 15.90, Julian Wilson (AUS) 14.10, Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 10.07
2018 WSL Men's CT Jeep Leaderboard (After Quiksilver Pro France):
1 - Gabriel Medina (BRA) 51,770 pts
2 - Filipe Toledo (BRA) 51,450 pts
3 - Julian Wilson (AUS) 47,125 pts
4 - Italo Ferreira (BRA) 33,490 pts
5 - Jordy Smith (ZAF) 32,020 pts
Roxy Pro France Final Results:
1 - Courtney Conlogue (USA) 14.76
2 - Macy Callaghan (AUS) 10.96
Roxy Pro France Semifinal Results:
SF 1: Courtney Conlogue (USA) 14.14 def. Carissa Moore (HAW) 13.26
SF 2: Macy Callaghan (AUS) 14.33 def. Bronte Macaulay (AUS) 10.73
Roxy Pro France Quarterfinal Results:
QF 1: Carissa Moore (HAW) 14.67 def. Malia Manuel (HAW) 10.33
QF 2: Courtney Conlogue (USA) 13.50 def. Johanne Defay (FRA) 12.83
QF 3: Macy Callaghan (AUS) 13.60 def. Coco Ho (HAW) 10.87
QF 4: Bronte Macaulay (AUS) 12.83 def. Tatiana Weston-Webb (BRA) 12.40
2018 WSL Women's CT Jeep Leaderboard (After Roxy Pro France):
1 - Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 61,175 pts
2 - Lakey Peterson (USA) 54,260 pts
3 - Tatiana Weston-Webb (BRA) 44,770 pts
4 - Carissa Moore (HAW) 44,235 pts
5 - Johanne Defay (FRA) 39,895 pts
Comments
Go Ryno the trombones are backin ya.... yeeeewww!!!!
Is John John due back anytime soon?
Ive just lost complete interest in the WSL without Kelly or John John especially with Mick also gone, only surfer id really care on maybe catching a heat is Filipo, Joel or Michel.
I tuned in for maybe 5 minutes this comp then got bored and tuned out.
Really? what a fan boy comment - only gonna watch if my favourite surfer is surfing, otherwise who cares! Mate it was pumping!!! and guys were ripping!! it was sick. shame you couldn't enjoy a really good contest. and JW's air - wow that was sick
The more i surf, watch surfing and learn about surfing, the less the scoring makes sense.
I know its been done to death but single air waves getting 10 just isn't logical. Ryan Callinan consistently got 8-9 for 2-3 big back side hooks. Julian gets a 10 for a big backside 360, granted it was a good one. I can't get my head around how this adds up. There is nothing to say on the next wave Jules does 2 turns similar to Calinan that might score around 7-8 and then the same air on the end section which got 10 last time. We know he cant get a 17 so where does this leave them? Same applies to Callinan, his next wave he might get the same 2 turns worth 8 then have a crack at an air, not as good as Jules but maybe an air that would score 6 on its own. What do they do then? Everyone has gotten so infatuated with big airs that its devalued the rest of surfing and made the scoring system look ridiculous.
I agree there needs to be a score limit on one manoeuvres like a 8 it just doesn't add up.
In the 80's we were too far the other way you could do 10 wiggles to the beach and get a 10 but now it's gone the other way too far.
One other thing that annoys me is if a surfer pulls a big air or a sick barrel and then flicks off or just claims when there is another section to still hit or do a big roundhouse cutty, they assume its a 9 or 10 so don't add anything more, the WSL should encourage surfers to add icing to the cake by deducting half a point or point for not taking advantage of everything the wave has to offer.
I disagree, the judges want them to really push it and throw big moves - there was way too much safe surfing. The air was a 10 all day and the other airs were not comparable in any way. Watching live there was no possibility of anything but a 10, the commitment, the ability, the situation. JW was pusing the limits every heat
My issue was he made one out of ten, so you watch him fall off ugly multiple times before he finally made one. Medina was the same in the semis he was trying them on ridiculous shitty little sections and the whole thing looked ugly and awkward. I can see people at my local beach doing that rubbish (air try hard), I want these fellas to have a better handle on the waves than trying no hope hail mary's.
Yeah Ron I’m lost at times but I don’t watch enough of it to know. Makes it easy when the waves are pumping and proper. That’s where the real core Surfer’s shine to. I reckon we’ve got a goodn there in Ryan C. Can surf real waves and loved a tube or 10. I reckon there’s a high percentage of these guyss are b grade Surfer’s really.
ron scores [10] with his money shot at French Style Ooh La La Quicky!
WSL Drones are set to auto pilot French cutting thru the Air France Terminal.
This event tides the Surfers in & backwashes crowd into the line-up to get the stomp started.
Beach Party erupts the Kooks/Groms/Femlins rip off their gear in a mile high spawning.
Don't believe me check past footage... Titties out for Big Airs all in each others lap.
Chuck the Duck's new XXX French Mermaids Ooh La La... or was that a dream...Sleep!
What's clear is no other surfing event has the crowd breathing down surfers neck.
WSL would love to bottle this formula... but not so fast!
Coaching the surfer, willing on the Big Air...WSL the beach & world now countdown the hit.
Final was 10 airs a piece land two and you win a bottle opener.(Potz- Surferz were Tired?)
ron is asking the question for tomorrow today! Does a surf stadium influence the ref.
Just like other Stadium Sports the closer to the action the more cheers & boos.
This at a time when Referees are quitting as crowds issue death threats to all ref's Families.
Surfing is most fortunate to have beach brawls in the past or background.
WSL party wave plan may selfie Femlins on INSTA
Hook some Groms on Disney Channel
Bait some Dads with Ooh La La Air France ...."No! It's Just WSL Pornhub dear!"
But i have an ugly feeling UFC Bite Club are circling in the carpark.
Hard to say if there were more JetSkis & Drones in the crowd than spectators in the line-up.
All lovey dovey without security? Just where does WSL Air France draw a Line in the Sky!
Go the Queenslander!
On ya Jules keep ripping putting it on the line this is your year
After officially qualifying for next years tour with his quarter final finish Mikey Wright gets brushed for a Portugal wildcard.
Strange business.
Business being the key word here.
Australia needs new blood to keep a major demographic of consumers interested in the WSL product. Shy of pushing one through heats , it’s easier to just grant an Australian opportunity till he qualifies. Doesn’t hurt that he’s got corporate backing in the form of sponsorship....every one wins.
Job done , time to pick the next target to push.
The WSL may not “ get “ surfing , but they get business.
Yep, and correct me if I'm wrong but Mikey seemed to get his initial entries from being the highest placed surfer on the 2019 QS (as opposed to being the highest rated non qualifier from 2018) and then this justification then morphed into ongoing wildcards due to his strong performances. He's had pretty good run, he's qualified, the WSL have their man, and now they're providing someone else a look. Seems reasonable to me.
MEO, the event sponsors, only operate in Portugal, I think. It makes sense they would want to maximise Portuguese interest with the wildcards.
Wasn’t there Brazilian wildcards at Margie’s which is also sponsored by the state tourism board aka you and me ?
Nah they ran away when they heard a shark was around.
As far as the title race is concerned, if you do the math taking away their throw aways now, the results show Toledo in front. In my mind, with what’s remaining, I have it a very even 3 horse race. The scores are
In 3rd JDub 45,040
In 2nd Medina 45,360
In 1st Toledo 48,120
Shoredump please it is mathS as in mathematicS. Sorry the creeping Yankism really annoys me and is wrong.
Sorry Mem, duly noted. I hadn’t even realised I did it. I have to spend a lot of time over there (unfortunately) and have to speak with them constantly. Creeping in is right. Go Julian :)
Thanks for taking it the way it was intended. I sound like a prat picking it up but I feel we have to keep our words, both in general English and our great history of slang or we end up the 51st state of the US.