Monday, 9th July 2007 at 12:13 pm

Jihad in Durban: Brazil attacks SA

He wasn’t among the favourites, certainly, but his third place in 2005 suggested he at least had a feel for the local waves; enough of a feel, as it turned out, to emerge from a week of high calibre surfing as champion. Jihad Khodr, who boasts one of the more incendiary first names in world sport, fought through a strong field to meet Reunion’s Jeremy Flores in the final of the Mr. Price Pro in Durban, and saw off his rival to give Brazil the title for 2007.

In a busy weekend for Durban, the surfing offered a soothing tonic to Durban July hangovers; Khodr clearly hadn’t been indulging at the races, however, making the most of a break not dissimilar to his home surf in Brazil, and defying his ranking (25 in the world, to Flores’s 12) to win the $15 000 prize money, the title, and a large pile of ranking points.

With the Billabong Pro in J-Bay looming this week, the surf road show moves down the coast, and South Africans will be hoping for a little more local success - David Weare in the last 16 was as good as it got for South Africa. But if the quality of surfing matches that seen in the Mr. price Pro, then no one will really be complaining; Supertubes beckons, and with the field set to be even stronger (J-Bay is a World Tour event, whereas the Mr. Price Pro is a qualifying series stop), another cracking week on the waves is on the cards.