COOLANGATTA, Australia, March 4 (UPI) -- Eight-time world surfing champion Kelly Slater on Tuesday upended defending world champ Mick Fanning in the finals of the Quicksilver Pro in Australia.
Slater won the event with a score of 17.94 points to 15.23 for Fanning, who was defending at his home break at Coolangatta, Australia.
"Feel bad about beating Mick at home? Not in the least," Slater said. "He's won this event twice, I had to catch up."
The Association of Surfing Professionals said the win put Slater atop the ASP rankings for the first time since 2006 when he last won the ASP title.
Slater had been planning a low-key and selective schedule for 2008 but with his win Tuesday he has decided to surf in the next ASP event at Bells Island, Australia starting March 18, the ASP said in a written announcement.
