Lee-Ann Curren (Anglet, FRA), who is a future Cooler Cover Girl, is ASP European Champion! As best European performer she took the prestigious crown for 2009, her second regional crown after a year break to succeed to Justine Dupont (Lacanau, FRA). Curren, 19, who has targeted a qualification for next year’s ASP Women’s World Tour for her main goal this season, placed equal 13th at Estoril and was not able to go any further than Round 3, still enough to grab the European title.

“It feels great to be the ASP Women’s European Champion again after a year hiatus,” Curren said. “I had the crown two years ago and lost it last year to Justine Dupont so it is a good confidence boost as I am starting to focus on the ASP World Qualifying Series (WQS) and trying to qualify for the ASP Women’s World Tour”.

Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) won the ASP WQS Women’s 6-Star event, the ASP Women’s World Tour rookie besting fellow finalist and ASP Top 17 rookie Coco Ho (HAW) in a world class surfing exchange. The day belonged to Sally, 18, and the new generation of women’s professional surfing. Fitzgibbons, current ASP Women’s World Tour member, surfed every heat of her final assault flawless, methodical and mechanical as she swept the field to win the ASP World Qualifying Series Estoril Billabong Girls taking the valuable 3000 ratings’ points up for grabs.

Fitzgibbons, who is a rookie on this year’s ASP Women’s World Tour, leaves Portugal with a solid back-up result in case she ends up needing to requalify through the ASP World Qualifying Series (WQS) at the end of this year. So far, Fitzgibbons remains well in position to fullfil expectations from the international surfing scene which considers the young woman a future ASP World title contender.