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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Saturday, December 17, 2005

Georgeson is world champ

Advertiser Staff

Australia's Chelsea Georgeson completed the ultimate triple crown of titles yesterday.

Georgeson won the Billabong Pro Maui contest yesterday, clinching the 2005 women's Association of Surfing Professionals world championship and the women's division of the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing championship in the process.

The final day of the event was completed in clean 6- to 8-foot waves at Honolua Bay.

"I'm so happy," said Georgeson, 22. "It's been one of the best days of my life, and to have all of my friends and family here is just amazing."

Georgeson also won the Billabong Pro Maui and the women's Triple Crown last year, but it was her first world championship.

Peru's Sofia Mulanovich, the 2004 world champion, was eliminated in the quarterfinals. She was the only other surfer with a shot at the world title entering yesterday's heats.

"I'm just stoked for her because she's the most amazing surfer ever and she deserves this a lot," Mulanovich said.

Georgeson won four heats yesterday, including a convincing victory over Brazil's Jacqueline Silva in the final.

Georgeson's two-wave score of 16.5 in the final was the best total of the day. She took the lead midway through the heat with an 8.5 ride, and then clinched it with an 8.0 (out of 10) with five minutes remaining. Silva's two best waves scored a total of 9.0.

Georgeson won two of the three events in this year's women's Triple Crown. She also won the first event at Hale'iwa Ali'i Beach.

She received $10,000 for winning yesterday's contest, and another $10,000 for winning the Triple Crown.

The Hawai'i surfers did not fare well yesterday, as Megan Abubo, Rochelle Ballard, Melanie Bartels and Keala Kennelly were all eliminated in the third round.

The Billabong Pro Maui was the final event of the 2005 women's World Championship Tour.

Abubo, Ballard and Kennelly requalified for the 2006 WCT, but Bartels came up one place short.

BILLABONG PRO MAUI

FINAL RESULTS

1, Chelsea Georgeson (Australia), $10,000. 2, Jacqueline Silva (Brazil), $6,000. 3 (tie), Melanie Redman-Carr (Australia) and Heather Clark (South Africa), $4,250. 5 (tie), Maria Tita Tavares (Brazil), Trudy Todd (Australia), Sofia Mulanovich (Peru) and Laurina McGrath (Australia), $3,500.

WOMEN'S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TOUR

FINAL 2005 RATINGS

1, Chelsea Georgeson (Australia), 7,080 points. 2, Sofia Mulanovich (Peru), 6,012. 3, Melanie Redman-Carr (Australia), 4,704. 4, Megan Abubo (Hawai'i), 4,614. 5, Layne Beachley (Australia), 4,308. 6, Trudy Todd (Australia), 4,128. 7, Rochelle Ballard (Hawai'i), 4,104. 8, Keala Kennelly (Hawai'i), 3,876. 9, Samantha Cornish (Australia), 3,786. 10, Claire Bevilacqua (Australia), 3,720. Also: 17, Melanie Bartels (Hawai'i), 2,340.