Damien King crowned 2011 DK World Champion
posted by Sacha Specker on 7th November 2011
2011 Encanto World Series Puerto Rico Pro
Event 7 of 8, Mens Grand Slam Series
Middles, Isabella, Puerto Rico
November 2-13, 2011
ibaworldtour.com
Two-time Prone World champion Damien King (Port Macquarie / AUS) has clinched his maiden Drop Knee World Title at the Encanto Puerto Rico Pro today, making him the first rider ever to win both world titles. King had to advance through his quarter-final match-up against Ardiel Jiminez (CNY) to gain enough points over multiple DK World champ Dave Hubbard (Lihue / HAW) and 2010 DK World champ, Cesar Bauer (PER) to secure the title.
With just over one minute remaining, King needed a solid score of 6.8 to progress. As he took off on what looked to be the best wave of the heat, the crowd held their breath and rose to their feet, but unexpectedly, king lost his balance and fell.
"I wanted to give up a few times in that heat, especially towards the end. I was always one step behind from the start," King explained. "When I paddled back after falling on that last big one, I thought it was over. I was so tired, but refused to give up."
With only seconds to go, King managed to find a bowly inside left and did one of the most critical backside turns of the day, earning him enough to clinch the win.
"I paddled so hard to get into that left, but once I saw the cup on the end of it, I knew it was on. I was on my backhand, so I just gave my all. I actually almost pushed too hard and lost it, but managed to hang on. I was not sure if I was going to get the score."
The Judges deemed it a 6.9 out of a possible 10 points, pushing King into the lead as the siren signaled the end of the heat.
King dedicated the win to his father in-law Jimbo, who had been traveling to events with him for the past few months.
The remaining DK draw will feature:
Semi-final 1 : Damien King (Port Macquarie / AUS) vs Amaury Lavernhe (St Gilles / REU)
Semi-final 2 : Cesar Bauer (PER) vs Dave Hubbard (Lihue / HAW)
The WWT Round 4 and quarter-final heats were not without their highs and lows. Local heroine, Natasha Sagardia (Barceloneta/PUR) took out five time Women's World champion Neymara Carvalho (Vila Velha / BRA) in Round 4 and then delayed the crowning of a Women's World Champion today, by defeating 2011 WWT points leader, Eunate Aguirre (Pais Vasco/ESK) in the quarter-finals. Aguirre was looking good to win her first World Title at this event, but with her loss today, it will come down to the final Women's Grand Slam event of the year at the Azores Pro, scheduled for the 22-27 November 2011.
Sagardia will face newly crowned 2011 Australian champion, Lilly Pollard (AUS) in semi-final two. Pollard has shown incredible control and power in her surfing throughout the event, making this a highly anticipated match-up.
Carla Costa Taylor (Rio/BRA) looked unstoppable today and defeated an inform Chiaki Okuyama (JPN) in quarter final one, securing her spot in the first semi-final against current Women's World champion, Isabella Sousa (BRA).
Forecasts are predicting a significant rise in swell by tomorrow, potentially offering some of the best waves Middles Beach has seen all year. With only Round 1 of the the Mens GSS Leaderboard completed, there is plenty of action expected to unfold over the next few days.
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