Mick Fanning is the 2009 ASP World Champion, picking up the title in epic conditions at Pipe/Backdoor. Despite losing his Rd 4 heat today against Dingo, Joel’s loss to Hawaiian wildcard Gavin Gilette in the last heat of the previous round meant that Mick, who lead the ratings coming into Pipe collected the goods. In the lineup simultaneously at the end of Joel’s heat, Mick and Joel hugged it out in a nice display of sportsmanship. I dont know if Occy said, “They’re gonna cuddle right now” and started to sob on the webcast as he did in Mundaka, but I sure hope so. Then Joel actually chaired Mick up the beach, which was one of the best displays of sportsmanship since Turin, July 1990 when two members of the German football team sat in absolute silence next to Stuart Pearce having just made the World Cup Final, waiting for a piss drug test after the penalty shoot out.

Cheers, ears. After achieving the ultimate prize in the sport in gorgeous warm, turquoise-blue liquid, Mick Fanning, limbs leaking claret liquid from the theatre of battle ingests ice cold amber coloured liquid. Photo: Le moi

The swell jumped up overnight, giving classic Pipe/Backdoor surf in the 6-8ft range. Some were calling it the best day in the 38 year history of the event. Others were calling it sick. Others were rendered speechless. Ten rained down from the judging tower as for once a legitimate sporting spectacle unfolded before the adoring eyes of a healthy, fleshy beach crowd.

I would love to go on but it’s about 4am in Europe so even less people will be seeing this than usual, and I need to go drinking. Stay tuned for the full story in a couple of hours. Here’s the vid: