- Title: PORTUGAL: 1997 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TOUR SURFING
- Date: 5th October 1997
- Summary: FIGUEIRA DA FOZ, PORTUGAL (OCTOBER 5, 1997) 1. SHANE POWELL AND ROB MACHADO PREPARING FOR THE FINAL. 2. FINALISTS PADDLING OUT. 3. MACHADO (WHITE SHIRT) SURFING. 4. POWELL (RED SHIRT) SURFING. 5. SURFERS IN THE WATER AS FINAL SECONDS OF THE FINAL TICK BY. 6. POWELL WITH PRIZES ON VICTORY ROSTRUM. Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
- Embargoed: 20th October 1997 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: FIGUEIRA DA FOZ, PORTUGAL
- City:
- Country: Portugal
- Reuters ID: LVAZMCR0HWJEKDCPOYFD8FGB4V
- Story Text: - INTRO: Australian Shane Powell won surfing's Figueira da Foz event on Sunday (October 5) to move into second place in the 1997 World Championship Tour (WCT) as American Kelly Slater became the first surfer to win five world tITles.
Powell defeated Rob Machado of the United States in the Figueira Pro event to give the Australian the last word in a week otherwise dominated by the Americans.
Slater became the first surfer in the histORy of the sport to win five world tITLes despite his elimination by Australian Danny Wills in the third round of Portuguese event.
Slater already had an unassailable position on the ratings of 7,460 points after 10 legs with two events to go, with Powell in second with 6,066.
American Lisa Andersen took first place in women's division and won her fourth consecutive world title.
In men's, at the half-way point of the 30-minute final, Powell was trailing by more than 13 points and the crowd on the beach had already made their minds up that it was going to be a win for Machado.
But the event took a dramatic turn in favour of the Australian when he stroked his way onto the best wave of the heat to score 9.25 points out of a possible 10 to claw his way back into contention. The final score of the final was 31.80 for Powell to Machado's 31.15.
Waves of only a 0.5 metres to one metre were on hand for the final but surface conditions were good and there were plenty of waves to be ridden.
The win ends an excellent European season for Powell who scored a victory in Lacanau, France, in mid August which he backed up with a third a week later in Hossegor, France.
"It's been an incredible European season for me and it means a lot to be back to second in the world", 24-year-old Powell said. "I think it was a good thing that I lost my sponsorship back in Easter because it gave me time to relax and focus back in on what I wanted to achieve in competition." Machado was undoubtedly the crowd favourite for the final and at one point he must have felt as if the final was his. Opening with excellent scores of 7.00, 8.50 and 7.25, Machado had built a huge lead with his fluid frontside attack on the velvet smooth left-handers.
But then, a couple of sneak right-handers came through for Powell and the tables turned. The result moved Machado to fifth in the world standings.
"For sure, there was a moment there were I thought I had it", Machado, 23, said. "But when Shane came out with a 9.25, well that was the turning point of the heat," he said.
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