COOLANGATTA, Queensland/Australia (Friday, February 27, 2015) - The world’s best surfers are on Australia’s Gold Coast for the opening stop of the 2015 World Surf League (WSL) Samsung Galaxy Championship Tour (CT) season, the Quiksilver and Roxy Pro Gold Coast, held from February 28 - March 11, 2015.

Gabriel Medina (BRA), reigning WSL Champion and defending Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast winner, has been honing his fitness in his native Brazil as well as engaging in strategic surf training in Santa Barbara, California and on the North Shore of Oahu en route to Australia to commence his maiden title defense. 

“It’s been busy since December,” Medina admitted. “It’s been great to have all the support of my country over the offseason, but I’m excited to be back in the jersey. The bank is looking good and it will feel great to get back in the water.”

Medina will face rookie compatriot Wiggolly Dantas (BRA) and event wildcard Dane Reynolds (USA), in the opening round of competition.

Mick Fanning (AUS) and Kelly Slater (USA), three-time and 11-time world champions respectively, put on a spirited battle for the crown in 2014, sending the title race to the final event of the season at Pipeline. 

Although Fanning, 33, narrowly missed out on a fourth title, the lightning-fast Australian will enjoy the benefit of commencing the 2015 season at home on the Gold Coast. Slater, who recently turned 43, continues to define high performance with every heat as well as further cementing his legacy as one of the greatest athletes of all time. 

The men’s rookie class for the 2015 season includes Matt Banting (AUS), Wiggolly Dantas (BRA), Italo Ferreira (BRA), Keanu Asing (HAW) and Ricardo Christie (NZL) with returning CT surfers Dusty Payne (HAW) and Glenn Hall (IRL) rejoining the world’s elite after a brief hiatus.

Gold Coast local surfer Jack Freestone (AUS) took out the trials this afternoon and will match-up against Fanning and Banting when Round 1 commences. 

Reigning World Surf League (WSL) Champion Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) is rested and focused ahead of the opening stop of the 2015 WSL Samsung Galaxy Championship Tour (CT), the Roxy Pro Gold Coast, from March 28 to February 11.

“This is the first offseason that I can remember where I just stayed home and decompressed,” Gilmore said. “It was great to be in one place and collect myself after a really intense 2014. We’ve had great waves over the past few weeks and it’s been productive to hone in on my fitness, equipment and approach heading into the start of the 2015 season.”

The Roxy Pro Gold Coast, where Gilmore was victorious last season en route to clinching her 6th world surfing crown, boasts the added importance of 50% of the winners over the past decade going on to claim that year’s world title. 
 
“We’re back and we’re on,” Gilmore said. “Great to see everyone back in town and excited to put the jersey back on and get to it.”

Gilmore faces a returned-to-form Silvana Lima (BRA) and Bronte Macaulay (AUS), (winner of the Trials) in the opening round of competition.

Tyler Wright (AUS), Carissa Moore (HAW) and Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) turned the 2014 women’s title race into the most exciting and hard-fought in the sport’s history and they’ll WSL Top 17 this season to challenge Gilmore for the No. 1 spot.

Tatiana Weston-Webb (HAW) serves as the sole rookie for the 2015 class, but she’ll be joined by returning CT surfers in the form of Lima and Sage Erickson (USA) who are both back after one season on the Qualifying Series (QS).

Surfline, official forecaster for the World Surf League, are calling for:

Saturday starts off with modest East swell, but slowly declines through the weekend into Monday. Small surf Monday through Thursday. Then a possible larger mix of South shifting SE windswell and South groundswell over the 6th-8th, but with breezy South veering SE winds. More surf potential after that.

Event organizers will meet tomorrow morning at 7:30am (local time) to assess conditions for a possible 8am start.
 

The Roxy Pro Gold Coast will be webcast LIVE at WorldSurfLeague.com

 

Roxy Pro Gold Coast Round 1 Match-Ups:

Heat 1: Malia Manuel (HAW), Johanne Defay (FRA), Sage Erickson (USA)

Heat 2: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS), Courtney Conlogue (USA), Nikki Van Dijk (AUS)

Heat 3: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), Silvana Lima (BRA), TBD

Heat 4: Tyler Wright (AUS), Dimity Stoyle (AUS), Alessa Quizon (HAW)

Heat 5: Carissa Moore (HAW), Laura Enever (AUS), Tatiana Weston-Webb (HAW)

Heat 6: Lakey Peterson (USA), Bianca Buitendag (ZAF), Coco Ho (HAW)

 

Running in conjunction with the Roxy Pro will be the world’s best male surfers in the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast.

 

Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast Round 1 Match-Ups:

Heat 1: Joel Parkinson (AUS), Miguel Pupo (BRA), Brett Simpson (USA)

Heat 2: Michel Bourez (PYF), Sebastian Zietz (HAW), Ricardo Christie (NZL)

Heat 3: Kelly Slater (USA), Fredrick Patacchia (HAW), C.J. Hobgood (USA)

Heat 4: John John Florence (HAW), Jadson Andre (BRA), Glenn Hall (IRL)

Heat 5: Mick Fanning (AUS), Matt Banting (AUS), TBD

Heat 6: Gabriel Medina (BRA), Wiggolly Dantas (BRA), TBD

Heat 7: Jordy Smith (ZAF), Kai Otton (AUS), Jeremy Flores (FRA)

Heat 8: Adriano de Souza (BRA), Filipe Toledo (BRA), Dusty Payne (HAW)

Heat 9: Taj Burrow (AUS), Bede Durbidge (AUS), Keanu Asing (HAW)

Heat 10: Josh Kerr (AUS), Adrian Buchan (AUS), Matt Wilkinson (AUS)

Heat 11: Kolohe Andino (USA), Julian Wilson (AUS), Italo Ferreira (BRA)

Heat 12: Owen Wright (AUS), Nat Young (USA), Adam Melling (AUS)