Joel Parkinson (AUS), 31, claimed his first ASP World Title today at the final stop of the 2012 ASP World Championship Tour (WCT) season, by winning the Billabong Pipe Masters in Memory of Andy Irons.
Parkinson narrowly defeated the 11-time world champion Kelly Slater (USA), 40. Slater was defeated in the semi final round at Pipeline by Josh Kerr (AUS), 27. With Slater out, Parkinson was crowned the WCT champ and then defeated Kerr in the finals of the contest.
“Consistency paid off,” Parkinson said. “This is where I wanted to stand at the end of the year. This is what I’ve worked for my whole life. I can’t describe what this feels like. I’ve had runner-ups and ups-and-downs. I’ve been to hell and back and it makes this so much sweeter. All the love from Hawaii and Australia and over the world, I can’t thank you all enough for supporting me.”