Yesterday, seventeen-year-old Australian Matt Banting won the Australian Open of Surfing for the second time.With a flurry of fin-wafts and aerial variations, Banting was able to trump the entire field of both the pro junior and 6-star open men's divisions.
Florida's Evan Geiselman came within a hair of taking the men's title from Banting in a hotly contested final. In the end, Geiselman's 15.83 was bested by Banting's 16.83.
Banting's double-victory places him in good company. Young prodigies Kolohe Andino and Gabriel Medina achieved similar feats at the Vans Pier Classic and Sooruz Lacanau Pro. And both surfers went on to qualify for the World Tour shortly thereafter. Safe to say that Banting following suit means we'll be seeing him atop the podium frequently in years to come.
