Shea Lopez takes ASP WQS tour lead in Brazil
05 February 2007
FLORIANOPOLIS, Brazil (Feb. 5, 2007) - No matter what happened during yesterday's final of the Mormaii Costao Pro, American Shea Lopez could sit tall in Brazilian waters and smile with distinction as the No. 1 surfer on the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Qualifying Series (WQS) rankings. The honor builds upon Lopez's hotly-contested finish at the 4-star O'Neill Sebastian Inlet Pro, where he finished third overall.
"I couldn't be happier about my start this year. I haven't been competing in that many events for the past two years," says Lopez. "Having a start like this just gives me more confidence for the rest of the year. I'm stoked for being back at the top of the WQS, because my intention is get back to the WCT."
Lopez fought his way through initial rounds of the Brazilian WQS 6-star contest, while the WQS rankings jumbled in the wake of Gabe Kling's (WQS No. 2 after the Florida stop) defeat by Ben Bourgeois and Alex Gray in the fifth round.
In the second heat of the sixth round, Lopez advanced with Brazilian Pablo Paulino. After that, Lopez beat another Brazilian, Gilmar Santos, in a Round of 16 man-on-man heat, before eventually falling to Hawaiian Kekoa Bacalso in the quarterfinals.
"Shea is an incredible athlete--a surfer's surfer--and his story is one of the most inspiring in the sport," says Alain Mazer, Global Marketing Director of Hot Tuna International, which sponsors Lopez. "It's awesome having him where he belongs, shoulder-to-shoulder with the world's best again, and winning, and we're looking forward to seeing him charge back into 'CT contention."
Lopez finished as high as No. 11 in the world in 2000 and 2002, and was set to re-qualify for the 2004 World Championship Tour (WCT) when he sustained a debilitating knee injury while leading his heat in the quarterfinals at the (WCT) 2003 Pipe Masters in Hawaii. He spent 2004 recovering from reconstructive knee surgery, and was afforded an "injury card" entrance to the WCT in 2005, where he competed in a limited number of events.
The next stop on the WQS tour is the Hang Loose Pro in Fernando de Noronha, Brazil, slated Feb. 6 through 11. To follow Lopez and the other surfers on Tour, log-on at www.aspworldtour.com.
For further information:
PRESS (LOPEZ):
Mark Hartman
TEL 727.643.4508
P.O. Box 1266
Indian Rocks Beach, Florida 33785
sqmintl@tampabay.rr.com
PRESS (HOT TUNA):
Alain Mazer
Global Marketing Director
Hot Tuna International Inc.
1020 West 17th Street
Costa Mesa, CA 92627
United States of America
Tel: 949.574.5023, x.12
Fax: 949.574.5064
Email: alain_mazer@hottunausa.com
AIM: HotTunaMazer
Notes to Editors:
Hot Tuna International PLC (AIM:HTT) owns the rights to the Hot Tuna brand, a progenitor of global youth fashion, born in Australia with a heritage of authentic surf culture.
About Hot Tuna (International) PLC: Born Down Under in the summer of '69 to serve the apparel needs of sojourning surfers, the Hot Tuna brand grew to global prominence in the '80s and '90s, and went public in the UK in late 2005.
In June 2005, Hot Tuna International PLC purchased the ‘Hot Tuna’ brand from Frontier International (Holdings) Pty Ltd, listed on AIM in September 2005, and has since started to aggressively market the brand and reinvigorate the business. The Company now owns all intellectual property rights to its name and related iconography, and has put in place key management drawn from the executive ranks of Quiksilver, O’Neill and Ocean Pacific, among others.
While headquartered in London, Hot Tuna (International) PLC (AIM: HTT) maintains offices in Sydney, Australia, and in Southern California in the USA.
The apparel brand serves core retail, drawing its inspiration from international surf culture and global fashion, and the Company is committed to the timeless values that its iconic Piranha logo has come to embody:
authenticity, creativity and good times.