Ben Player has conquered the GoPro Pipe Challenge 2013, after defeating Jeff Hubbard, Pierre-Louis Costes and Dave Hubbard, in pumping 8-10 foot waves, at Banzai Pipeline.
Player secured the maiden victory in the dying minutes of the final. He posted an excellent score of 8.75 early in the final for a deep set wave barrel on a left and finished it off with a looping roll.
With only two minutes remaining, Player was searching for a 6.21 or better to take out the final. Scooping into a heaving Pipe set wave, the Australian negotiated his way through a long barrel and topped the wave off by launching an invert off the closeout to earn himself 7.38 out of a possible 10 points.
Victorious, Player was carried up the beach to the podium by good friends and past Pipe Champions, Ryan Hardy and Andrew Lester, accompanied by a cheering crowd of Australian supporters.
Player, a two-time world bodyboarding champion, had never been able to claim a victory at the infamous Banzai Pipeline.
Isabela Sousa claimed a convincing victory in the Ladies division, defeating Minami Hatekayama, Karla Costa-Taylor and Saro Ohhara.
The Drop-Knee division featured a hotly contested final, taken out by South African Sacha Specker, defeating Hawaiian wave wizard and multiple Drop-Knee world champion, Dave Hubbard, Dave Winchester and Cesar Bauer.
