Perhaps you should be taking your mind off our rugby teams and focusing on an area where our South African sportsmen are taking the top prize!

Like Grant “Twiggy” Baker who completely cleaned up this weekend – quietly nursing a 61 foot way to take home top prize at the Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards.

Check it out. This from theBOMBsurf:

South African Grant ‘Twiggy’ Baker won two categories in the Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards presented by Monster Energy, when the Academy Awards of surfing were announced at a glittering ceremony in California last night.

Baker received the Billabong XXL Biggest Wave award for a ride on a wave measured at 20 metres (61 foot) at Tafelberg Reef, near Hout Bay in Cape Town, in August last year. The Durbanite also collected the Surfline Best Overall Performance award for his dedication in pursuing huge surf and competing in big wave events all over the world during the past 12 months.

 

Grant ‘Twiggy’ Baker from Durban won the Billabong XXL Biggest Wave award for this ride at Tafelberg Reef near Hout Bay in Cape Town measured at 20 metres (61 foot) in height. Photo: Alan van Gysen

 

Baker was also nominated for the Monster Paddle award while tow partner Greg Long (California), who towed Baker into the wave at Tafelberg, won the premier Billabong XXL Ride of the Year award and US $50 000 (approx. R450 000) for his incredible tube ride on a 10 metre wave at nearby Dungeons during the Red Bull Big Wave Africa event in July 2008.

Baker earned $15 000 (approx. R140 000), a Honda Aquatrax personal watercraft and an HSA sled for his XXL Biggest Wave and a further $5 000 for the Overall Performance award.

Cape Town based photographers Alan van Gysen and Brenton Geach and video company Fixerfilm/Hutchmotion shared $4 000 for providing the images that determined the XXL Biggest Wave winner and Fixerfilm/Red Bull BWA scooped the $5 000 for the video footage for Long’s Ride of the Year.

I hot-boxed my Range Rover with Twiggy once and can categorically state that he is a top individual (with an even better supplier)! Congratulations, Twiggy – awesome stuff!

Check out more from theBOMBsurf here.

And don’t forget if you haven’t done so already, to check the BOMBsurf BOMBshell, Michelle G, who we interviewed for the 2oceansvibe Weathergirls last week. CLICK HERE for that.

[thanks frank]