funsporting.comNEWSSurfingRip Curl Womens Pro Bells Beach 2009 0357

Lima Claims Maiden Victory at Rip Curl Women's Pro round 2

Silvana Lima (BRA), 24, claimed her maiden ASP Women’s World Tour victory on Sunday, defeating reigning two-time ASP Women’s World Champion Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), 21, to take the Rip Curl Women’s Pro and become the first Brazilian in history ever to win at the iconic venue.

The Rip Curl Women’s Pro culminated today with an action-packed Final that saw both athletes pushing the levels of high-performance surfing. Despite both surfers racking up high scores, it was Lima who would rise to the occasion and ring the bell for her inaugural win.

“This feels amazing,” Lima said. “This is the first World Tour event I’ve ever won and to win it at Bells Beach is like a dream. To be the first winner from Brazil to ring the Bell, it’s amazing. I am so happy. I hope everyone in Brazil stays up and parties big.Steph (Gilmore) is so good out there in any conditions and I knew I needed to get scores on top of her quickly,” Lima said. “I was able to get really strong waves at the start and my boards felt like they were working really well.”

“The World Title is always my goal, every year,” Lima said. “Last year was a really good year for me, but I couldn’t win an event. Now that I have a win, my confidence is very high and I look forward to the next event.”

“Silvana (Lima) finally got me and she was ripping,” Gilmore said. “Her win was well-deserved and I hope it creates a great rivalry for the year ahead.” Despite her runner-up finish, Gilmore has further established her stranglehold on the ASP Women’s World Tour ratings lead heading into the mid-year break.

“Of course I’m disappointed not to come away with the win but runner-up is still a solid result for me,” Gilmore said. “Bells is one of those places that makes you hungry to come out on top and it would have been amazing to get three in a row. Congratulations to Silvana though and I’ll look ahead to the rest of the year.”

 

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