Retirement-bound Australian veteran Joel Parkinson showed he's ready to bow out with a bang not a whimper when he claimed victory in the Hawaiian Pro.
Parkinson won the opening event of Hawaii's Triple Crown of Surfing by defeating Brazilian teenager Mateus Herdy, Ricardo Christie of New Zealand and Brazil's Deivid Silva in the final at Haleiwa on Saturday (Sunday AEDT).
"I am kind of in shock," said 37-year-old Parkinson. "I just wanted to come here and win a few heats and do well.
"If this is the last time I am up on stage, surfing has been amazing to me. I will always love the people in surfing."
Parkinson, the 2012 world champion, will finish his 18-year career as a fulltime tour pro in the remaining two Triple Crown events - the Vans World Cup at Sunset Beach and the World Surf League finale, the Pipe Masters.
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"I really enjoyed the event and that's probably been a key for me at this stage of my career to enjoy and it was enjoyable," he said.
"I'll miss moments like that but I'm glad they're coming to an end.
"To all my family and friends back there watching, love you guys and see you all see for a retirement party."
