Two years ago, Aussie surf prodigy Tyler Wright was crowned ASP Rookie of the Year 2011 and has come a long way since, defeating Sally Fitzgibbons in the finals of the Roxy Pro Gold Coast last weekend! With such a fulminante start to the Women’s World Tour 2013, we’re excited to see what the upcoming six stops will hold in stores for us and whether Sally can ever shake off the endless second…

Stay tuned for more updates as soon as they come and enjoy the video highlights in the mean time!

Event No. 1 of 7 on the 2013 ASP Women’s World Championship Tour (WCT), the Roxy Pro Gold Coast enjoyed a down-to-the-wire finish today with Wright and Fitzgibbons going head-to-head in a fiercely-fought Final.

Despite Fitzgibbons holding the lead for the majority of the heat, Wright secured a wave in the dying moments and tore it apart for a 9.20 out of a possible 10, taking the heat lead and the win.

“I don’t even know what to say right now,” Wright said. “I wasn’t even thinking out there. I was singing to myself and when I came in, my sister said ‘I was singing right along with you’. That little wave came in and hugged the bank and I just left it all on the wave. To get the score and the win like that, it’s incredible.”

With a win at the opening stop of the year, Wright takes the initial lead in the hunt for the 2013 ASP Women’s World Title, but the young natural-footer is focused on enjoying the moment for now.

“I’m not even thinking about the world title,” Wright said. “I had a rough season last year and I took a good break over the off-season, got a motorbike and just relaxed. To come back and get a win in the first event, it feels great and I’m just going to enjoy it.”

Fitzgibbons, 2012 ASP Women’s World Runner-Up, was one of the form surfers of the event and transferred that form into the Final. However, the young South Coast surfer permitted Wright to take the heat-winning wave from under her priority, a mistake that would cost Fitzgibbons dearly.

“It’s a hard one to swallow when you lose like that,” Fitzgibbons said. “Tyler (Wright) is such a strong surfer and she trains really hard and she pulled it out on that final wave so congrats to her. Not the result I wanted, but still a strong start for me so I’ll just regroup and focus on the next one.”