Thompson and Fitzgibbons claim Ballito Open victories

Durban surf ace Luke Thompson and Australian Sally Fitzgibbons claimed top honours in last weekend’s Ballito Open pres. by Flojos.

The Ballito Open offered 1000 Qualifying Series points to the winners, which made for some exciting battles at Willard Beach over Saturday and Sunday.

Surf was initially good in the early rounds on Saturday, but those who survived had to make things work and tap into their experience when the swell dropped to 1-2ft.

The women’s finals ended up loaded with new generation groms such as Janire Gonzalez Etxabarri (EUK), Amuro Tsuzuki (JPN) and Bella Kenworthy (USA).

But it was former world number one Fitzgibbons who outmanouevred the youngsters in the final shoot-out.

“To come in and have the next generation cheer you up was really special,” said Fitzgibbons.

“When I started in this game they were probably still in nappies, so it was cool that they came down to support me! It was a great day, sparring with each other and lifting our performances for the rest of the week.”

Thompson would follow her lead in an exciting men’s final, using all of his local knowledge to its fullest extent.

Facing off against Hawaii’s Jackson Bunch, Thompson pulled out some sharp turns at crucial moments to deliver a 14.33 combined wave score.

That was enough to claim the victory in front of a vocal home crowd.

“I really wanted to get a win here at home in front of everyone, I have my friends here and my mom, so I’m just really grateful,”

He now heads into the daunting Ballito Pro main event and will be hoping his form holds true to cause some upsets.

The main event was scheduled to begin this morning but was called off for poor waves.

The call for tomorrow’s action will be made at 7am.

Stay in the loop with The North Coast Courier on Facebook, X, Instagram & YouTube for the latest news.

Mobile users can join our WhatsApp Broadcast Service here or if you’re on desktop, scan the QR code below.