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NORTH NARRABEEN, New South Wales/Australia (Tuesday, January 11, 2011) – Round 3 action at the Billabong ASP World Junior Championships saw the men’s ASP World Junior title race heat up with several contenders boasting sharp performances in each of their respective heats.

The Billabong ASP World Junior Championships represents the last stop on the inaugural ASP World Junior Tour which harbors the planet’s top under-21 surfing talent as they hunt for the title of ASP World Junior Champion.

Dale Staples (ZAF), 20, current No. 2 on the ASP World Junior Tour, launched out to an impressive start in his Round 3 heat to match the day’s highest single wave score of a solid 8.17 out of 10 with electric forehand surfing on an alley right to earn his Round 3 victory and the South African upstart is dedicated to overtaking current No. 1 Jack Freestone for the ASP World Junior Title.

“I’m just focusing on my own heat, but I was watching Jack (Freestone) in the heat before me and I’m just trying to do better than him,” Staples said. “I have my own things that I do before heats, but I do watch him quite a bit because he’s number one. I just hope I can do better than him every heat.”

Caio Ibelli (BRA), 16, current ASP World Junior No. 3, continued to look hungry in his hunt for the Billabong ASP World Junior Title, punting the day’s highest-single wave score of an 8.17 out of 10 for a massive frontside air-reverse on a righthand ramp to eliminate Ty Watson (AUS), 20, in their Round 3 matchup.

“Conditions are pretty fun,” Ibelli said. “I love airs. I caught two nice waves and that was amazing. Its one more round and one more step. I’m excited. I’ll wait for the next round and I want to win this event.”

Jack Freestone (AUS), 18, current No. 1 on the ASP World Junior Tour, continued his winning form today by ripping into two alley rights to notch a 13.50 (out of 20) heat total, advancing him into Round 4 to better his chances of clinching the 2010 ASP World Junior Champion title.

“I just stuck to the rights because the lefts sort of weren’t working with the high tide,” Freestone said. “I saw some fun rights so I just decided to stay there. ”

Freestone shook off the nerves that came along with entering the event as the top seed and regained his composure in his Round 3 bout against Moroccan Ramzi Boukhaim (MOR) and tried to mix a variety of airs and gouges to secure his advancement into Round 4.

“I was really nervous in that heat,” Freestone said. “I was trying to take it easy, but I was trying to get every wave and was falling off. I went out there and tried to do airs because I’ve seen guys getting good scores for airs. I’m just trying to switch it up.”

Dean Bowen (AUS), 19, demolished two punchy lefthanders with a series of powerful forehand carves to eliminate defending Billabong ASP World Junior Champion Maxime Huscenot (FRA), 18, from competition in their Round 3 bout.

“It was a tough heat against Maxime (Huscenot),” Bowen said. “I knew that if I stuck to my game I could get a couple. We haven’t surfed over the last couple of days but I knew if I got a couple I could get the job done. It’s pretty fun out there. I kept trying to build on my scores, that’s always my game plan when I get out there and it worked out for me.”

Evan Geiselman (USA), 17, reigning ASP North American Pro Junior Champion, issued an upset of his own today, taking down in-form North Narrabeen local Davey Cathels (AUS), 20, in a tough Round 3 bout.

“I was definitely a little nervous going into it against Davey (Cathels),” Geiselman said. “That’s why the contest is so hard, because everyone surfs so well, so to beat Davey, I’m happy. I didn’t get nervous until the last five minutes left in that heat because Davey only needed a bad score. I’m just glad I can keep going and glad I got that bad heat out of the way.”

A cash reward is also handed out at the end of each competition day, the Von Zipper More Bang Bang for Your Buck, which recognizes the competitor who pulls off the most progressive maneuver of the day.

The Billabong ASP World Junior Championships holds a waiting period from January 8 through 16, 2011 and will be webcast LIVE via http://www.billabongpro.com.

For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com

Media interested in attending on-site are encouraged to register prior at: http://billabongpro.com/wjc10/media_reg/

Television newsfeeds and web highlights packages will be made available to TV and online media on competition days. Please contact [email protected]

The Billabong ASP World junior Championships fuelled by Monster Energy is made possible with the support of Sony, Volkswagon, VonZipper, Nixon, Australia’s Surfing Life Magazine, Warringah Council and NSW Sport and Recreation.

Billabong ASP World Junior Championships Round 3 Results:
Heat 1: Granger Larsen (HAW) 11.70 def. Ryan Callinan (AUS) 11.16
Heat 2: Kiron Jabour (HAW) 12.16 def. Luke Davis (USA) 7.57
Heat 3: Evan Geiselman (USA) 10.76 def. Davey Cathels (AUS) 10.47
Heat 4: Caio Ibelli (BRA) 13.27 def. Ty Watson (AUS) 9.00
Heat 5: Marc Lacomare (FRA) 11.40 def. Kaimana Jaquias (HAW) 7.83
Heat 6: Dean Bowen (AUS) 12.37 def. Maxime Huscenot (FRA) 9.00
Heat 7: Charles Martin (GLP) 9.16 def. Chris Salisbury (AUS) 8.40
Heat 8: Jack Freestone (AUS) 13.50 def. Ramzi Boukhaim (MOR) 8.17
Heat 9: Dale Staples (ZAF) 12.62 def. Hiroto Arai (JPN) 10.16
Heat 10: Alex Smith (HAW) 11.84 def. Brendon Gibbons (ZAF) 8.20
Heat 11: Nat Young (USA) 13.93 def. Keanu Asing (HAW) 10.16
Heat 12: Kyrstian Kymerson (BRA) 12.73 def. Shaun Joubert (ZAF) 10.37
Heat 13: Mitch Crews (AUS) 11.27 def. Andrew Doheny (USA) 7.40
Heat 14: Kolohe Andino (USA) 11.36 def. Nic Von Rupp (DEU) 9.30
Heat 15: Miguel Pupo (BRA) 13.80 def. Felipe Jervis (PRT) 5.50
Heat 16: Chad Du Toit (ZAF) 12.84 def. Jesse Mendez (BRA) 12.26