Lee Wilson Crowned 2009 Coca-Cola Indonesian Surfing Champion at Quiksilver Open Keramas

Lee Wilson

In a tense and highly competitive quarterfinal matchup today at the 6 Star Prime Quiksilver Open 2009 at Keramas Beach in Bali, Lee Wilson narrowly defeated ex pro World Tour surfer Jake Paterson to become the 2009 Coca Cola ISC Men’s Open Champion and regain the title he lost to Dede Suryana last year.

The Quiksilver Open 2009 was the final stop on the 2009 Coca-Cola ISC Tour and the pivotal competition that would decide the 2009 champion, with the race very tight between Wilson, Garut Widiarta, Dedy Santoso, and Raditya Rondi.

Wilson was elated as he came out of the water after the 25 minute quarterfinal heat, where he bested Paterson by a mere .15 of a point, ending the heat with a total score of 15.55 to Paterson’s 15.40. “I can’t believe it did it! My knees are shaking, I’m still so nervous, I wanted this so much. My wife and baby girl are here this morning with me, and that made it all happen for me,” said Wilson. When asked about his thoughts prior to paddling out against Paterson, he replied, “When you’re up against a guy like Jake, how can you not be intimidated? But I knew it would either happen or it wouldn’t, I just had to go out and do what I do…surf every wave as good as I can. And I did it. I’m so unbelievably happy and relieved to get my name back on that championship trophy!” he said with a big smile.

Wilson arrived at Keramas Beach this morning knowing that unless he bested Paterson in his quarterfinal heat, the first of the day, the 2009 ISC championship trophy would be Garut Widiarta’s, so the pressure was enormous. “I tried not to think about it, just go for a couple of surfs yesterday and get out there early this morning to get a feel for the conditions, but for sure it was playing on my mind constantly. We got really good waves in the early going, and Keramas is certainly one of my favorite waves, so I did get a lot of confidence knowing there were good waves out there,” he added.

Paterson was generous in his praise of Wilson, saying “Lee is certainly deserving of this title, and he’s worked very hard for it. There were some great waves out there and we each took our turn at them. It was a lot of fun out there, but serious too. We both wanted to get big scores, so t was just up to each of us how we performed, and in the end he got the better of the exchange, so good on him!”

Wilson followed up his quarterfinal heat win by also winning his semifinal heat against Pepen Henrik, boosting a big air reverse for a 10 point score from the judges that got him the Coca-Cola Best Maneuver Award, then rounded out his day with a runner up spot in the Quiksilver Open 2009, finishing second to Tai “Buddha” Graham in the final.

Wilson will receive a check for 50 Million Rupiah (approximately $5,000 USD) from the Coca-Cola ISC Tour as the 2009 ISC Men’s Open Champion, and a check for 10 Million Rupiah from Quiksilver for his second place finish.

The official Coca-Cola Indonesian Surfing Championship Awards Presentation will take place at the Discovery Kartika Plaza Hotel in Kuta Bali on November 14, 2009.

2009 Coca-Cola Indonesian Surfing Championship Men’s Open Top Five

1. Lee Wilson
2. Garut Widiarta
3. Raditya Rondi
4. Dedy Santoso
5. Dede Suryana

For the complete story, results, photos, and video of the Quiksilver Open 2009, see www.quiksilver.com, and www.facebook.com/pages/QUIKSILVER-INDONESIA/137968034529, and www.isctour.com