Australian surfer Tyler Wright has triumphed over defending champion Courtney Conlogue to win the Drug Aware Margaret River Pro title in a tight battle for the top honour.
The 2015 winner led the rankings coming into the competition and showed no signs of losing momentum through the early heats. USA-born Conlogue charged into the final round on Friday with a strong performance against Hawaiian Tatiana Weston-Hebb in the semifinal.
Picking up a total of 17.44 against Weston-Hebb, Conlogue showed exactly why she is the #1 ranked surfer in the world and proved worthy of the hype as she geared up for the showdown with Wright.
The #2 ranked Wright displayed equally strong form in her quarter and semi final battles against Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) and Carissa Moore (HAW) and headed into the final slightly battle-weary thanks to some tough face-offs through the early rounds.
Wright's first ride (8.93) showed promise as Conlogue took some time to get a feel for the waves. Wright nailed a 9.60 while Conlogue hung back, her best ride scoring just 1.87 in the first 15 minutes of the final.
The NSW-born 22 year old showed a new found confidence at Mainbreak despite Conlogue throwing down an 8.70 wave before Wright responded with a devastating 9.07 blow to the defending champion's hopes of repeating last year's win.
Interviewed in the water after the final buzzer, Wright thanked her family at home and gave particular emphasis to her little brother who joined her in Margaret River, where she has been unable to secure a win until now.
The two surfers have had an exciting rivalry this year, facing each other in the finals of the Roxy Pro on the Gold Coast and the Rip Curl Pro at Bells Beach last month.
Wright took the honours on the Gold Coast before Conlogue responded with a win in Victoria providing the perfect set up for a fairytale finish in WA.
Conlogue will now defend her title at the Oi Rio Women's Pro in Brazil. The American will appear in Rio de Janeiro next month alongside Wright, who came close to a finals berth in the event last year before being pipped by Conlogue in the semifinals.
