Nikita to Quarters, Fitzgibbons Wins

Australian Sally Fitzgibbons took the biggest win of her junior career by winning the Billabong ASP World Junior Championships at North Narrabeen Beach in Sydney, Australia on Monday, after defeating Paige Hareb in a one-sided final. All Pictures: ASP Robertson (c) Covered Images

South Africa’s Nikita Robb reached the quarterfinals on the final day of the Billabong ASP World Junior Championships at North Narrabeen beach in Sydney, Australia, but it was homegirl Sally Fitzgibbons who claimed the 2007 ASP World Junior girls title with a dominating performance.

The Australian Pro Junior champion and second-seed for the event posted five of the top six highest scoring rides, including a prefect 10-point ride in her semi-final, and four of the top five heat scores that culminated in a one-sided 16.77 vs. 7.84 point finals victory over New Zealander Paige Hareb, who had eliminated Robb earlier in the day.

"I just can’t believe it," Fitzgibbons said sporting an enormous grin and holding a cheque for US $6,500. "Everything worked out for me today. I guess it was supposed to happen, but it hasn’t sunk in yet." 

South Africa’s Nikita Robb pictured on her way through to the quarter finals, after beating Hawaii’s Alessa Cuizon in Round 3. Robb recorded excellent heat averages of 13.84 in Round 3, and 12.67 in the quarters, but narrowly lost to Hareb in the last eight.

Fitzgibbons became the third straight Australian to win the Girls event, following in the footsteps of Jessi Miley-Dyer (2005) and Nicola Atherton (2006), and will be crowned alongside 2007 World Champions and fellow Australians Mick Fanning and Stephanie Gilmore and Brazilian Pablo Paulino, who won the men’s ASP World Junior title here yesterday, at the ASP Awards Banquet on the Gold Coast in February.

Event top-seeded Robb reached the quarterfinals via a narrow 13.84 vs 13.34 Round 3 win over Hawaiian Alessa Cuizon, but the East Londoner then agonisingly bowed out in equal 5th place overall, after leading her encounter with Hareb until the last 90 seconds when the eventual runner-up, needing 5.67, netted a 6.53 point ride.

The girls waited six long days to compete in the business end of competition, Sydney’s North Narrabeen beach producing contestable one to 1.5 metre waves for the final day. 

Nikita Robb congratulates quarter-final winner Paige Hareb, after leading the New Zealander until the last 90 seconds of their quarter-final heat.

Full results, statistics and images from the 2007 Billabong ASP World Junior Championships can be found at the Billabong Pro website.