Buchan Beats Slater To Take Quiksilver Pro France

Australian Adrian Buchan has one his first ASP World Tour event, the Quicksilver Pro France, which took place on the 24th Sep in Hossegor, France. He beat eight-time ASP World Champion Kelly Slater to get to the top spot but the battle was tight (Buchan beat Slater 15.73 to 15.16). Buchan performance was a big step-up, his previous surfing not good enough to make it passed the quarterfinal rounds.

Slater was aiming for a sixth event win this season which would have seen him take a massive ninth ASP World Title. All he needed was a score of 7.51 to push him to victory but couldn’t find the wave to capitalise on, scoring only a 2.23, and had watch on as Buchan licked the waves clean.

“I tried not to think about it paddling out for the final,” Buchan noted. “I had visions of him winning the title but I just tried to focus on myself and what I had to do out there – get two really good waves. Luckily Kelly did not get that one at the end.”

Kelly was gracious in defeat saying “It’s cool that it came down to a wave in the end, at least it made it interesting…truth is though, Ace was more in sync with it. He got those open face ones and did the turns. I had one wave I surfed pretty good on that I knew was going to get me back in it. Then I just needed a chance in the end but there wasn’t quite enough time – I should have pushed for a 40-minute final.”

Buchan’s win moves him up the world rankings to No. 9. Ironically, if Kelly finishes 9th or better in Mundaka he will win the world title…for the 9th time!