Pupo and Jordy in Ballito field
To date, a total of 68 of the top 96 surfers in the world have confirmed their entries into the ASP ‘Prime’ event which carries a prize purse of R2.7 Million, including 11 of the Top 34 competitors ranked on the elite ASP World Tour.
World No 9 Miguel Pupo of Brazil is the highest ranked competitor entered into this year’s event. Renowned for his lightening fast, above the lip prowess, Pupo is a proven QS performer with three major QS victories under his belt to date.
South Africa’s Jordy Smith weighs in as the second highest at World No 12. A former Mr Price Pro Ballito champion (2010), Smith has clinched three WCT and six QS victories to date and remains a firm favourite in Ballito.
Joining them are 2001 World Champion and tour veteran CJ Hobgood (USA) as well as WCT stalwarts World No 18 Adam Melling (AUS), World No. 33 Alejo Muniz (BRA) and two of the tour’s best back-handers World No. 21 Adrian Buchan (AUS) and World No. 26 Matt Wilkinson (AUS).
On-again off-again WCT campaigners World No 21 Jadson Andre (BRA) and World No 26 Aritz Aranburu (ESP) will have extensive experience surfing the QS four-man heat format on their side, while 2012 Triple Crown of Surfing Champion Sebastien Zietz (HAW) and this year’s rookie South Australian slab hunter Dion Atkinson (AUS) will surf with the confidence of proven performers in everything from three - 10 ft (one - three meter) surf.
Current World No. 2 on the WQS ratings Australian Matt Banting leads the field as the highest ranked QS surfer. Banting has won one 6Star on the QS this season, taking down veteran Nathan Hedge (AUS) with a pair of near perfect scores in Australia earlier this year.
Hedge comes in as the second highest rated surfer with a win at the 1Star and a second place at the 6Star in Australia this season.
Thomas Hermes (BRA) and former Mr Price Pro Champion Patrick Gudauskas (USA) are other top ten ranked QS competitors all expected to excel in the powerful waves of Ballito.
Entries will remain open until June 3 when organisers expect all 90 places to be filled. ASP will award three wildcards to the highest ranked non-qualifying surfers in the region, while Mr Price will select two surfers of their choice. The sixth wildcard will go the winner of the trials held prior to commencement of competition on June 30, making up the 96-man field.
Renowned as one of the biggest beach festivals on the African continent, the Mr Price Pro Ballito is expecting approximately 100 000 fans to soak up the non-stop entertainment over the seven days.
While the surfers ride the ocean waves by day, spectators will once again be rocked by sound waves at night when Mr Price and the KwaDukuza Municipality present free music concerts at Salt Rock on July 3 and 4.Thursday July 3 sees a night of Kwaito, Afro pop, hip-hop and house while Friday July 4 caters to more of a pop, rock and dance theme audience.
From July 1- 2, the event will also incorporate a Food and Wine festival, bringing mouth-watering flavours to the beach and build on the lifestyle event that proved to be so successful last year.
The RedCap Foundation has been selected as the event's Corporate Social Investment program as the RedCap have been actively involved in the region since 2010 with their health and education programmes impacting low-income communities in KwaDukuza.
(File Photo:Gallo Images)
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