Patrick Beven and Diana Christina wins the Costao do Santinho - Floripa 2006

The Costão Pro Floripa 2006, a men's six star and women's four star World Qualifying Series (WQS) event, was wrapped up with a big yellow-green celebration on Santinho´s Beach, Santa Catarina today. After a sunny and hot week, the decisive Sunday dawned rainy. Despite small waves in the one to two foot range, the surfers put on a great show on the final day of competition. Young Brazilian-Indian Diana Cristina, only 15, defeated the top three ranked female WQS surfers to win the first women's WQS event in Brazilian surfing history.

Brazilian Patrick Beven won the men's final, triumphing over the former ‘QS No. 1, Gabe Kling (USA). Kling finished the event in second, just he had the week before in Fernando de Noronha. Beven represents France, because he's been living there for about 14 years, but he emphasized he's a native Brazilian, and from now until the next event he is the World Qualifying Series No. 2.

The first victiory on Santinho´s Beach was claimed by Diana Cristina, the young Indian surfer from the Potiguara tribe Baía da Traição. She is the youngest female surfer ever to win a WQS event in ASP history.

“ I still don't believe. It's the first WQS I'm competing. I scored an 8.67 out there and I'm very stoked. I don't even know what to say”, spoke Tininha, as she's known. She doesn't even know what she will do with the $3,500 prize money.

“I'll spend some and also save part of that for the trips, because I want to compete in more WQS events,” siad the little surfer who started catching waves when she was only 9-years-old and competing against boys.

“There were no girls surfing back home at that time and my first comps were against the boys. I didn't think I'd achieve success so early, but I'm going to take it easy and just concentrate on surfing and getting better so that I can represent Brazil in the WCT some day,” she promised.

North American Karina Petroni opened the final better then Cristina, scoring a 7.83 holding the lead almost the entire heat, until Cristina scored 8.67 to nail the first Brazilian victory at the Costão Pro – Floripa 2006.

“I started well and kept very calm out there, freaking out with my two best friends, dancing, singing, but then the little Brazilian caught a good wave, got on the lead and I couldn't do anything else, because the waves didn't come up anymore”, said Karina, 17, who didn't give any importance about the result.

“ I came here, had a lot of fun, loved Brazil, went out every single night and I'm very happy. This girl surfs a lot and she'll give us a hard time in the world tour, for sure,” said Petroni, who earned 2,200 dollars for second place, while Australian Stephanie Gilmore took 1,800 dollars for the third and the reigning women WQS ranking leader Hawaiian Leilani Gryde got 1,300 dollars for the fourth place at the Costão Pro – Floripa 2006.

The men's final enjoyed a yellow-green party too, with Patrick Beven holding the Brazilian flag with Diana Cristina at the podium. “Once again, I'm here to ask you not to forget the people abroad, because they treat us like Brazilians there and here talk about us as we were French”, complained Patrick Beven, 26.

“My father is a fisherman, my mother worked in a slum and I had wanted a better quality of life, that's why I moved, but I'm Brazilian,” repeated the champion.
Beven competed in three heats Sunday. He started the day defeating North American Mike Todd in heat seven of round of 16. After that, he won over Brazilian fellow Gustavo Fernandes in the quarters and then another country friend Rodrigo Dornelles in the semifinal.

“Pedra (Rodrigo Dorneles) has been surfing very good. It was a nice heat, but I think everybody has their lucky day and it was mine this afternoon,” said Beven, who earned 15,000 dollars for the second time in Florianópolis; he was the champion in 2003 when this event was at Praia Mole.

“I went into the final very confident and I didn't want to give any chance to the ‘gringo', who was ripping out the whole comp, I'd say. I was very tired, he was paddling stronger than me, but I found that winner out there”, said Patrick. He scored a 9.9 in that “winner” to add to some 7´s, beating the North American 17.57 to 15.10.

Gabe Kling was very happy about his participation in the Brazilian events, in spite of his two consecutive second places. “ I grew up surfing in Florida, where the waves are very similar to these ones, but what I really think is that I was very lucky with the waves I got during my heats and that didn't happen in the final,” explained Kling, the reigning No. 1. way ahead from Patrick Beven, with about 1,500 points of difference. Beven jumped from the 194th to take the second position, after this winning at the Costão Pro – Floripa 2006.

Brazilian Victor Ribas is the best WQS ranked athlete among his country fellows. Ribas was defeated by Jeremy Flores, from Reunion Island, in the quarters and is in the fourth place in the WQS ratings. Another Brazilian Jean da Silva, 2006 Fernando de Noronha Champion, is in the fifth and Rodrigo Dornelles is in the ninth, after taking the third at the Costão Pro – Floripa 2006. “ I tried everything I could in the semifinal against Patrick Beven, but he surfed very well and deserved the victory”, spoke Dornelles.