Ian Crane Triumphant at Red Bull Airborne France 2019

Ian Crane (USA) has won the Red Bull Airborne France, an aerial WSL specialty event, at Seignosse/Hossegor/Capbreton, Landes, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France, Saturday, October 5, 2019. Image credit: / WSL/Poullenot

Saturday, October 5, 2019

Ian Crane (USA) has won the Red Bull Airborne France, an aerial specialty event featuring 18 of the most innovative surfers in the air, both on and off the Championship Tour (CT). Capacity crowds estimated at 25,000 people flocked the beach in Hossegor to watch the best aerialists in the world take on scary shorebreak ramps all afternoon.

The Final featured Ian Crane (USA), Nomme Mignot (FRA), Griffin Colapinto (USA), Maxime Huscenot (FRA), Finn McGill (HAW) and Reef Heazlewood (AUS) in a 45-minute showdown where only the highest score of each surfer counted.

California’s Crane posted the Final’s biggest score in the opening 5 minutes with a stratospheric straight air on his forehand, beautifully grabbed and landed absolutely perfectly to take a firm grip on the heat. Mignot, Colapinto and Huscenot all posted scores with landed maneuvers but no one really challenged Crane for the lead. McGill maybe had the closest calls with really progressive moves but he couldn’t stay on his feet and unfortunately was left scoreless.

Heazlewood replicated Crane’s air but on a smaller section and couldn’t take flight quite high enough, but the air was enough to push him up to 3rd as the clock approached the last 5 minutes. As time ran out the situation remained unchanged and Ian Crane walked away with the win. The American becomes the first non-CT surfer to claim a Red Bull Airborne victory.

“This is awesome,” said Crane. “I just got chaired up the beach in France, this is just out of control. It’s definitely one of the best surfing moments of my life. It’s my first time down here in Hossegor, and yes, I love it. It was really hard to land airs, but that one was pretty cool. I almost made a huge one that I really wanted to land.”

French QS campaigner Nomme Mignot (FRA), who picked up a wildcard slot when he won the Red Bull Airborne Qualifier in Anglet earlier this summer with a near-perfect 9.93, brought his A-game to fight with the best in the game, and landed in second place.

Earlier in the qualifying rounds, the biggest standout was perhaps Matt Meola (HAW) who threw caution to the wind and attempted massive airs to light up the beach. He unfortunately couldn’t land any of his maneuvers and as the format of the Red Bull Airborne goes, kept a blank scoreboard all the way through his two heats.

Red Bull Airborne France Final Results:

1 - Ian Crane (USA) 5.83

2 - Nomme Mignot (FRA) 4.50

3 - Reef Heazlewood (AUS) 3.93

4 - Griffin Colapinto (USA) 3.77

5 - Maxime Huscenot (FRA) 3.73

6 - Finn McGill (HAW)

Red Bull Airborne France Qualifying Round 1 Results:

HEAT 1: Albee Layer (HAW) 9.00 DEF. Eithan Osborne (USA) 5.20, Kalani David (HAW) 3.00, Julian Wilson (AUS) , Reef Heazlewood (AUS) , Matt Meola (HAW)

HEAT 2: Ian Crane (USA) 10.66 DEF. Nomme Mignot (FRA) 5.07, Noa Deane (AUS) , Kevin Schulz (USA) , Griffin Colapinto (USA) , Jacob Szekely (USA)

HEAT 3: Finn McGill (HAW) 16.53 DEF. Cam Richards (USA) 8.80, Eric Geiselman (USA) 6.34, Jack Freestone (AUS) 5.20, Chippa Wilson (AUS) , Maxime Huscenot (FRA)

Red Bull Airborne France Qualifying Round 2 Results:

HEAT 1: Ian Crane (USA) 6.34 DEF. Eric Geiselman (USA) 6.24, Albee Layer (HAW) 4.34, Leon Glatzer (DEU) 2.80, Noa Deane (AUS), Matt Meola (HAW)

HEAT 2: Reef Heazlewood (AUS) 12.46 DEF. Maxime Huscenot (FRA) 11.34, Julian Wilson (AUS) 11.07, Kevin Schulz (USA), Finn McGill (HAW), Jacob Szekely (USA)

HEAT 3: Griffin Colapinto (USA) 12.86 DEF. Nomme Mignot (FRA) 9.54, Cam Richards (USA) 4.20, Chippa Wilson (AUS), Eithan Osborne (USA), Leif Engstrom (USA)

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