Some Qualifying Series (QS) can go nearly an entire career without tasting victory, but Gavin Gillette wasn't to be denied a third time and emerged victorious at the Air Tahiti Rangiroa Pro QS 1,000 -- keeping the event title on the Hawaiian islands.
Gillette battled with an in-form Marco Mignot in an intense Final after the pair of competitors smashed their way through Quarterfinal and Semifinal bouts, but the day belonged to Gillette. Two-to-three foot (.5 - 1 meter), clean surf offered plenty of scoring potential and the Kilauea, Hawaii, native stayed busy in each heat to secure his first win after two career Final appearances.