Parko, who pulled a singlet back on for the first time since he was crowned world champ, had no trouble dominating his heat. “As World Champion I guess I feel there’s a target on my back, I’m the one to take down but once I was in the heat I felt good out there – It’s good to get the jersey back on” said Parkinson. “Toward the end of last year there was an incredible amount of pressure and now that’s not there maybe I can be an even more dangerous opponent in the water. I’m sensing good waves for the weekends finals so I really want to be there in the thick of the action – I don’t want to watch it from the stands!”

Burton Toyota Pro Round of 96
Heat 1: Joel Parkinson (Aus) 17, Matt Lewis Hewitt (NZ) 13.23, Wade Carmichael (Aus) 9.14, Steven Sawyer (Zaf) 8.77
Heat 2: Joan Duru (Fra) 16.77, Tomas Hermes (Bra) 15.8, Hiroto Ohhara (Jpn) 11.37, Beyrick De Vries (Zaf) 9.23
Heat 3: Tiago Pires (PRT) 16.17, Oney Anwar (IND)11.67, Michael Powell (USA) 10.17 Mark Occhilupo (Aus) 7.70
Heat 4: Felipe Toledo (Bra) 14.7, Bino Lopes (Bra) 12, Evan Geiselman (USA) 11.60, Billy Stairmand (NZ)
Heat 5: Kalani David (HAW) 15.7, Damien Hobgood (USA) 11.87, Nobuyuki Osawa (Jpn) 10.33, Jay Quinn (NZ) 11.87
Heat 6: Santiago Muniz (Arg), Jesse Adam (Aus), Jack Freestone (Aus), Tanner Gudauskas (USA)
Heat 7: Charles Martin (GLP) 14.34, Jeremy Johnston (USA) 13.34, Frederico Morais (PRT) 9.03, Wiggolly Dantas (BRA) 8.07
Heat 8: Mark Lacomare (Fra) 14.33 , Maxime Huscenot (Fra) 13.77, Kolohe Andino (USA) 10.13, Caio Ibelli (Bra) 4.13
Heat 9: Matt Wilkinson (Aus) 17.40, Ian Gouveia (BRA) 14.20, Peterson Crisanto (BRA) 10.69, Matt Banting (AUS) 10.02

Hunter Ports Women’s Classic Round of 12:
Heat 1: Courtney Conlogue (USA) 15.60, Dimity Stoyle (Aus) 14.70, Alize Arnaud (Fra) 7.4
Heat 2: Sage Erickson (USA) 15.43, Pauline Ado (Fra) 13.93, Sofia Mulanovich (Per) 9.70
Heat 3: Lakey Peterson (USA) 18.70, Sally Fitzgibbons (Aus) 10.93, Laura Enever (Aus) 8.27
Heat 4: Alessa Quizon (Haw) , Bianca Buitendag (ZAF), Nikki Van Dijk (Aus)

Hunter Ports Women’s Classic Round of 24:
Heat 1: Dimity Stoyle (Aus) 17, Sofia Mulanovich (Per) 12.07, Nage Melamed (Haw)9.33, Tatiana Western-Webb (Haw)
Heat 2: Alize Arnaud (Fra) 15.17, Sage Erickson (USA) 14.67, Canelle Ballard (Reu) 11.07, Stephanie Gilmore (Aus) 9.80
Heat 3: Pauline Ado (Fra) 16.10, Courtney Conlogue (USA) 12.54, Johanne Defay (Fra) 11.90, Keely Andrew (Aus) 11.50
Heat 4: Lakey Peterson (USA) 14.04, Alessa Quizon (Haw) 12.23, Felicity Palmateer (Aus) 7.90, Ellie-Jean Coffey (Aus) 7.80
Heat 5: Sally Fitzgibbons (Aus) 17.10, Nikki Van Dijk (Aus) 11.14, Brittani Nicholl (Aus) 5.90, Stephanie Single (Aus) 5.23
Heat 6: Bianca Buitendag (Zaf) 12.53, Laura Enever (Aus) 11.90, Bronte Macaulay (Aus) 11.36, Philippa Anderson (Aus) 6.40

Hell yeah, I just renewed with Volcom for another three years. It was all quite straight-forward and easy. I should actually have a little more budget for video sections and online clips.

Photo: Christie

Any talk of a bonus incentive if you manage to qualify for the tour?

Ha! Obviously they’d love that but at the same time Volcom has never been massive about the contest scene so for now there’s no real pressure to qualify, in fact no real pressure at all…

A new French Connexion clip is due to drop any time…

Yep, I recently spent some time in Guadeloupe and shot some stuff with Charly [Martin]. Unfortunately Marco couldn’t make it. With this one it was a little bit different as I actually got to have a say in the editing of the footage. I got to chose those waves I wanted to see in there, and for once not have any stuff that I wasn’t fully satisfied with.

Like what kind of stuff?

What I’m really into at the moment are combo manoeuvres and not just one big crazy hit per wave, which is kind of what you see most of the time these days. From a viewer’s perspective I think it’s much more interesting to watch and from a surfer’s perspective it’s something that you can really work at too. For this latest clip, we also decided to include a little more lifestyle footage, us just having a blast out there in the Caribbean basically!

Right now you’re in Hossegor, it’s cold, howling onshore with massive storm surf. What do you do to stay busy?

It’s tough! I get pretty antsy and tend to just focus on my fitness programme. Right now I’m so tired I probably couldn’t even surf if there were waves. I’ve been working on my abs, upper body and legs with exercises my dad showed me. I never thought I’d say this but being fit really does help. At least that’s what I was doing when I picked up my best result at J-Bay last year. It’s actually also a way of preparing yourself mentally for what is always a really long season of travelling round the world and competing. Apart from that I also had to get some rest following ear surgery I had. In the past I’ve never really been patient enough so this time I want the operation to heal properly.

Joan not looking too bummed following his biggest mistake but strongest result last year as runner-up at J-Bay to Adriano. Photo: Cestari/ASP

About J-Bay, do you still have nightmares about losing in the last two minutes to Adriano despite having priority?

I’m not going to say it wasn’t a mistake but at the same time I’ve never really been one to sit on others and froth in comps… although maybe that will change now, ha! I was just focused on catching the waves I wanted and didn’t want to have to change my game plan to his. In fact that’s how Adriano wins a lot of his heats. Nevertheless I should have no doubt blocked him. It’s a lesson learned. Guys like Adriano never ever give up until the hooter sounds.

Pick up any other tips in 2012?

I got off to a good start but just wasn’t consistent enough throughout the year. That’s all really. I secured some solid results during the first three months (the Fernando Prime event) but then just kind of ran out of steam. Before I knew it we were back in Hawaii and it was all too late again.

Duru displaying the mean backhand hacks he’s known for on tour. Photo: Christie

None of the Euro legs really went your way, uh?

Yeah, it’s really frustrating. I’m always so keen to perform well in front of my family, friends and home support. Plus I was counting on Europe to climb back up the ratings but it just didn’t happen. I either surfed badly, was unlucky or just lost stupidly!

Heats often come down to very narrow point differences. Do you ever get the feeling the judges are biased towards other nationalities?

When you’re in Australia, the Aussies are at an advantage, but the same goes for Brazil and Hawaii… You can kind of understand it. But what I don’t get is in Europe it never really seems to work that way. We are rarely ever given the benefit of the doubt. I’m not sure why that is. Maybe we’re a little too cliquey or not as patriotic when it comes to surfing. In the Azores, with a bunch of Euro judges on the panel, I scored a heat draw but still somehow lost. We’re going to need more Euros on tour before any of that changes though.

What are you ambitions for the Top 32 today?

To tell the truth I’m not even thinking about the World Tour at the moment but just trying to stay focused on the big WQS events. If I ever qualify then I’ll start to worry about it.

Which top guys do you look up to right now?

Slater of course, he’s clearly after another world title, not the kind of guy to go out on a loss. Then Julian Wilson and John John. Those guys are so well-rounded it’s crazy. Medina too but I’m not sure he’s World Title material just yet.

What with Armstrong being in the news again recently, where’s surfing at these days now the ASP has introduced the anti-doping policy?
With cycling, you’ve got no choice but to go down the doping route if you want to win. With surfing it’s the opposite, the more you dabble the worse you surf ha ha! At least those who go out partying never seem to do to well from it…

Where does French Connexion stand with heavy nights out these days?
You’ll be happy learn we’ve all come a long way. None of us are getting any younger! A few years back Marco, Charly and I would be out on the town every opportunity we had but today we’re a little more chilled, more focused.

http://www.french-connexion.tv

Duru on:

The Nuke: I don’t know much about the pros and cons of nuclear energy, I am more worried about one of those bombs going into the wrong hands, we would all be in big trouble.

Fashion: I wake up in the morning and I get dressed. I don’t really look in the mirror, I don’t really care. But all those kids with skinny jeans and XL tee-shirts, look a bit like, you know…gay. I think it hurts the surfing image. A surfer isn’t supposed to look like that, come on world, harden up.

The financial crisis: Well, the first thing I would do is give Charly Martin a new sponsor.

Food: It may surprise you, but I pay attention to this for one particular reason, if I eat bad food or too much, I put a lot of weight fast, and then I can’t paddle properly, which is a worry…

Les femmes: They deserve equal salary, equal consideration, they should really be equal to men, even in surfing. They always get the crappy waves. Too many contests are run with the men so they get the leftovers and it is a shame…

Drug testing: It’s about time, Europe has been waiting for a long time, European surfers are the only clean guys out there, so now everyone will be on the same level.

Sport: I like both rugby and footie, I don’t have time to watch it on TV but when I am back at home, I like to go and watch a rugby game. I support Capbreton and Tyrosse.

Nightclubs: Honestly, not a big fan of nightclubs but I like to be with my mates and you know, most nights out, that’s the only place to finish the job.

Sharks: There are everywhere around here (in WA). They just saw a huge one the other day. I don’t really think about it much but they are around… yikes!

Global warming: That definitely sucks. I often look at the dunes around where I live and imagine water coming over it. If everything starts melting, we are all in deep trouble, all of us.

Joan Duru is a 22-year-old pro surfer from Ondres, France, considered by many as the best European surfer not on the WCT. You can check his digital bromance with Marc Almond et Bonnie Prince Charly here

Other Euros to secure decent results in what is being touted by some as the best QS ever included the on fire Portugueser Ribeiro Vasco (who fell in the quarters) and Reunion’s Maxime Huscenot (Round of 24).