What: Billabong Girls Pro, ASP World Tour Women’s Event
Where: Barra da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
When: 8 – 18 September 2008

After nine years, the world’s best female surfers are back competing in Rio de Janeiro for one of the hottest stops on the ASP Women’s World Championship Tour.

The Billabong Girls Pro got off to a flying start with world champ Stephanie Gilmore sailing through her first round and Silvana Lima also securing a great score on the first cold, rainy day at Barra da Tijuca.

“The waves are not clean, but I got two good waves so I am stoked to start out well,” said Lima. “I had a bad result in Australia so I decided to train to improve my physical and psychological performance and it worked out. After that I could see good results again. I won the Billabong contest in Bahia, South Africa and I finished in a good position on WCT in France, where I was in the semi-final.”

Currently world champion Sthepahine Gilmore said: “Itacaré is beautiful and fun, but it’s a small place. Here in Rio the waves seem to be better and stronger. We’ve had five month break between Australia and now, so I’ve been training hard and I’m stoked to come back wining. But we still are in the middle of the season…”

Here’s how the Billabong Girls Pro Quarterfinals are shaping up…

1. Silvana Lima (CE), Taís de Almeida (RJ), Krisna de Souza (RN), Valeria Sole (PERU)
2. Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), Melanie Redman (AUS), Juliana Quint (SC), Tita Tavares (CE)
3. Layne Beachley, Rebecca Woods, Samantha Cornish, Jessi Miley-Dyer (todas da AUS)
4. Nicola Atherton (AUS), Serena Brooke (AUS), Monik Santos (PE), Gabriela Teixeira (RJ)