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Posted on Saturday July 23rd 2011 at 5:19 p.m.
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Tom Curren (USA). 46, former three-time ASP World Champion, will be one of the many featured surfers in the ASP World Masters Championships. Image by ASP
Buchanan will compete in the Over 50s Men's Division against an all-star cast of surfers that shaped the way we surf today. He is the only Kiwi invited to compete at the event.
Speaking from his winter base of Biarritz, France, Buchanan was over the moon to be invited to the prestigious event which caters for sixteen of the most iconic surfers this planet has produced.
"I was originally the Head Judge for the event" commented Buchanan who now plies his trade as one of the world's top judges. He continued "but some invitees couldn't make it, and I was next on the list, so the ASP asked if I wanted to compete."
The event takes the shape of a round robin format where all sixteen surfers compete against each other several times to gain points with the top eight surfers moving through to the semifinals and on to the finals with $25,000 on the line for first prize.
Buchanan will need to transfer his vast judging experience back into the water at this event to come away with a good result, something he is confident in doing.
"I've been judging the best surfing in the world for the past few years so I know what the judges are looking for, but all the guys I'm up against are seasoned competitors, and know how to win heats and indeed have won major contests and world titles. It's going to very competitive for sure."
Highlighting the calibre of surfers he will face in the Over 50s Division, Buchanan will surf against Shaun Thomson (ZAF), Simon Anderson (AUS) and Terry Fitzgerald (AUS) in his first round match up - three legends that revolutionised surfing in the 70s and 80s.
It will be the first time Buchanan has entered a serious competition since the 2003 National Championships held in Dunedin where he took away two titles in the Over 35s and Over 40s Divisions.
The event will be staged at Arpoador, Ipanema, Rio De Janeiro, the same location as the ASP World Title event held in May. The wave, a beach break but predominantly a fast breaking lefthander, will suit Buchanan who spends most of his time surfing the Piha Bar at the south end of Piha Beach, also a lefthander.
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