Shaun Ward Wins Local Motion Guaruja Surf Pro
June 30, 2008 – 11:04 pm PT by MikeTags: Andre Silva, Shaun Ward, Simao Romano, Tomas Hermes —
Despite a heavy contingent of hometown Brazilian heroes in the final rounds of the Local Motion Guaruja Surf Pro, it was American surfer Shaun Ward who took the championship, which boosted his ASP ranking from 77th place to 30th with his impressive win. Shaun had to face three Brazilians in a row in for his last rounds as he took out Tomas Hermes, and Andre Silva before facing Simao Romao in the final. The conditions that day were very similar to that in his hometown of Huntington Beach to help him feel comfortable out there. Romao started the final pretty well with a score of 7.33 but failed to impress with a mediocre backup run.
“I have never been in an ASP WQS 5-Star before and I am so happy to be here,” Ward said. “I never imagined I could’ve won, but I worked hard every day to make it happen. It’s a dream come true. I have surfed and trained every day to get good results and it paid off here so I am very happy,” Ward said. “I faced very strong contenders all the way to the final but felt no pressure. The waves here are similar to my home break, Huntington Beach, and I have no problem surfing here. We had good waves pumping the whole week and now I want to celebrate my victory which is the highlight of my career.”
The next ASP stop will be at the 6-Star Mr. Price Pro in Durban South Africa.
