04.05.01
ASPworldtour.com

Sunny Garcia rides a wave at Sunset Beach, Hawaii, during the final round of the 2000 Rip Curl Pro. Garcia went on to win the event.

Reigning world champion Sunny Garcia (Haw) is facing a race against time to be fit enough to defend his Rip Curl Pro title at Bells Beach (Aus) later this month.

Garcia strained the medial ligament in his right knee while surfing at Newcastle (Aus) last Saturday but will contest the annual Easter surfing extravaganza, which is scheduled to start at Bells Beach on April 10.

The initial diagnosis was that the 31-year-old Hawaiian had torn the ligament and would be sidelined for at least eight weeks. But the knee has responded well to intensive physiotherapy sessions and Garcia is confident he'll be fit enough to contest the prestigious event.

"It's coming along really well and I'm trying to be optimistic," Garcia said from Queensland today. "It's not as bad as I first thought but it still hurts. Hopefully it will continue to improve over the next few days."

The powerful natural-footer was aiming for a record-equaling fourth Rip Curl Pro title before the injury interrupted his preparation. Garcia will now wear a state-of-the-art knee brace, which will arrive in Australia from the United States early next week, and will be limited to stretching and strengthening exercises in the lead-up to the event.

"I'm not going to even try to surf until the morning of my first heat," he said. "If it doesn't feel right I'll catch the next flight home, but if it feels okay I'll be trying my hardest. Hopefully it's flat for a couple of days and I get a little longer to recover."

Garcia comprehensively won last year's World Title after a barnstorming start to the season in Australia, winning both the Billabong Pro on the Gold Coast and the Rip Curl Pro at Bells Beach. Only the great Mark Richards (Aus) has won the Rip Curl Pro more times than Garcia, and the powerful Hawaiian was hoping to equal Richards' imposing record.

The 29th annual Rip Curl Pro, which will be contested from April 10-22, is the opening event of the 2001 World Championship Tour (WCT) and is the only WCT-rated event contested in Australian waters this year.

This year's Rip Curl Pro has also enjoyed a significant boost in prizemoney ($US125,000 to $US250,000), making it Australia's richest ever surfing contest.

The annual Easter event at Bells Beach will feature the world's top 45 surfers, joined by event wildcard Mick Fanning (Aus) and two surfers progressing through the 16-man Reef Trials (which will include former world champions Kelly Slater (USA) and Damien Hardman (Aus), and rising stars Zane Harrison and Troy Brooks (both Australian).

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