Just got this painful news in from the Rip Curl crew … we sat down with Mick in France recently, interview in the upcoming end of August issue, he was on top form. Knees are surfer’s Achilles’ Heel with JJF and Coco Ho also out with bung hinges. Feel better soon champ.
Over the weekend 3x World Champion Mick Fanning injured himself on a Stab In The Dark magazine trip in South Africa. After an immediate flight home and a trip to the doctors, Fanning has confirmed he has torn his ACL, which will require surgery and a 6-12 months recovery process.
“I was in South Africa and I was coming out of a tube,” Mick explains when asked how the injury occurred. “I was going to do a layback cutback, drop-wallet carve sort of thing, and midway through the turn, I just felt my back knee pop out. You can see in the footage where the thing just collapsed, instant pain, just my whole leg was in pain. But once I got to the beach the pain had already subsided, which made me think… okay, that’s bad. So I went home, showered up, rang all my favourite doctor friends and booked a flight home.
“I got scans yesterday and I see the surgeon tomorrow. Hopefully, I’ll get surgery in the next week or so. Then from talking to doctors, I think I’ll be in a brace from 1-2 weeks, a full locked-out brace, then hopefully off crutches after that. Then the rehab starts. They say that can take anywhere from 6-12 months.”
This ACL injury comes nearly 15 years after Fanning ripped his hamstring straight off the bone – an injury widely known as one of surfing’s most brutal. However after this hamstring injury in 2004 Fanning came back more powerful than ever, using the incident as fuel to his fire.
In true to Fanning form, Mick is already talking about speeding up the recovery process to get in the water sooner, stronger.
“Timeline wise, I’ll be aiming to be back in the water by January or February. That’s when cyclone season starts up here on the Gold Coast, and I would like to be ready for that.
“To be honest I’ve been pretty lazy for the past year or so – and I am sort of excited to be going down the path again of getting the body flowing and keeping the age barrier at a minimum. I’m fired up to get the body moving and feeling really good.
“I’ve still got big plans of Searching and now I’m even more fired up to get back to JBay!”
The 3x World Champion will have to take a step back from Searching for the next few months during his recovery process. Stay tuned.
Josh Kerr claimed Four Seasons Maldives Surfing Champions Trophy for the second year running with an unbelievable performance scoring 19.26 and pulling one of the moves so the year; a pretty miraculous “club sandwich” in the final to take out an onfire Parko.
He and Parko won the single-fin and twin-fin divisions respectively to book their spots in the Grand Final matchup, despite both earlier falling in the semi-finals of the thruster division. The pair’s third and deciding battle for the week lived up to the hype with the two Championship Tour veterans going blow-for-blow in a gripping encounter worthy of the occasion.
Parkinson kicked off proceedings with an 8.5 and a 7.27 to take an early lead, but things were just getting started. Kerr opened his account with a 7.17 and then a 9.33 to move into the lead, before it quickly swung back to 2012 World Champion Parkinson when he unleashed a series of trademark swoops and vertical stabs up into the lip for a 9.17. Kerr was on the wave behind, however, and pulled off the most incredible manoeuvre ever witnessed at the Four Seasons Maldives Surfing Champions Trophy: an explosive grab rail reverse (also known as a Club Sandwich) performed on an incredibly critical opening section of the wave. The dynamic display netted 2001 World Airshow Champion Kerr a near-perfect 9.93, and won him the event.
“I already had a couple of good scores,” said Kerr after his win, “so I decided to put everything I could into my next wave and see if I couldn’t put the final nail in the coffin. It was a steep, gnarly section, as I was bottom-turning I was thinking to myself, ‘what are you doing?’ but went for it anyway. Somehow I came out of it really clean and had the biggest smile on my face for the rest of the wave, it was really cool.”
“Kerrzy went to town on me!” said Parkinson at the presentation. “I thought I started really well, then next thing you know I was on the ropes! Kerrzy had a 9.33 and nearly a perfect 10, and even though I had a 9.17 of my own I was still chasing a combination and pretty much packed it in and headed back to the boat with four minutes to go. This week’s as much about the beauty of the Maldives as the surf contest though, and to get to share all of this with my family is really special. Riding different boards was incredible too! I’ve been asked a lot over my career and never been able to choose, but I’m pretty sure now that my twin-fin is the board I’d ride for the rest of my life if I had to pick one!”
“Obviously the prize money and the trophy are cool,” said Kerr, “but getting to come back here to Four Seasons Maldives is the real reward. Today is my 13th wedding anniversary, lucky number 13, so that’s a great anniversary present for my wife, as well as having the kids here. I didn’t win too many events during my career, so it’s extra cool to win this in front of them.”
In the final of the thruster division, 2019 Waterman Of The Year, Hawaiian Kai Lenny, took out three-time Championship Tour event winner, Matt Wilkinson, from Australia. After non-stop waves saw Lenny and Wilkinson knock out Kerr and Parkinson in the semi-finals, the ocean then went to sleep for the thruster division’s decider. Famed for his big wave surfing and multi-board heroics it was an ecstatic Kai Lenny who claimed the win with a 12.00 total after Wilkinson only caught one wave in the encounter, a 6.33.
“When I saw the roster for this event I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to keep up,” said Lenny. “But, with each round I got more confident, and come the thruster division I was definitely feeling more comfortable. I was watching the rest of the guys closely, and felt like I was improving with every wave. I’ll definitely take some confidence from this win, especially in really good waves up against a Championship Tour field.
“I was blown away by how good the single and twin-fins were, they seemed magic! We were surfing some decent sized waves and I was doubtful, but the performance level was different, and there’s something really refreshing about the lines you have to draw. The Maldives are the ultimate playground, they offer every type of condition for every type of activity, and even when the surf is supposedly no good it’s still firing!”
“I really wanted to make the final today,” said Wilkinson, “so was fired up for the semi-final with Joel. I’ve always loved surfing against him, so to beat him at a perfect right point is pretty nice! It was a pretty slow final and I didn’t get too many chances, but I’ve loved my week here in the Maldives and will go home with a lot of great memories.”
After Wiggolly Dantas (BRA) withdrew from the event, Kerr and Wilkinson received first round walk-throughs today. In the second of the three-man round one heats, Parkinson and Kai Lenny defeated local wildcard Mohamed Fayaz, who went down swinging and put on his best performance of the event. “I don’t know what to say,” said Fayaz, “This week has been so fun. I always used to watch these guys on tour and in all their movies, but this is the first time I’ve got to see them in real life and it’s just been so exciting.”
The Four Seasons Maldives Surfing Champions Trophy is hosted aboard Four Seasons Explorer – the Maldives’ ultimate surf vessel. Fans can get up close to the action with onboard VIP passes while the ‘surf tour’ experience continues with nightly events back at Four Seasons Kuda Huraa, which plays host to the contest’s competitors, judges and Tropicsurf partners.
Grand Final
Josh Kerr 19.26 def Joel Parkinson 17.67
Thruster Division Results
1. Kai Lenny (HAW) 2. Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 3. Joel Parkinson (AUS) equal with Josh Kerr (AUS) 5. Mohamed Fayaz (MDV)
2019 FS Maldives Surfing Champions Trophy Leaderboard
Josh Kerr (AUS) 2700pts Joel Parkinson (AUS) 2700pts Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 2500pts Kai Lenny (HAW) 2500pts Mohamed Fayaz (MDV) 2300pts
The twin-fin division of the Four Seasons Maldives Surfing Champions Trophy was run and won in clean head-high tubes at Sultans this afternoon, with competitors revelling in the dreamy conditions on offer at the right hand point break. After meeting in the final of the single-fin division on Thursday, it was again Australians Joel Parkinson and Josh Kerr who squared off in the last heat today to decide the twin-fin champion for 2019.
After an incredible afternoon of surfing blessed with the cleanest waves of the window so far, the final was the icing on the cake as Parkinson and Kerr went back and forth, exchanging long tubes, vicious turns and the lead a number of times. There could only be one winner, however, and as the final hooter sounded it was 2012 world champion Parkinson who gained his revenge for the earlier single-fin loss with an incredible 17.36 two-wave total to better Kerr’s 16.64, and claim the second of the three divisions. Parkinson did the damage with consecutive waves at the halfway mark, backing up an 8.33 with a 9.03 for a long, double-barrelled drainer. With Kerr already sitting on an 8.67 he spent the rest of the bout on the hunt for an almost identical 8.69, and although he had a number of opportunities he couldn’t quite overhaul his fellow Queenslander, a 7.97 the best of his attempts as the waves continued to cook.
“That was amazing,” said Parkinson, “Wave after wave after wave. They’re the finals you dream of. There were two waves in every set, which was even better. You could get back to the top and say, ‘you have the first one, I’ll have the second one!’ It was an amazing day of surfing. The whole Four Seasons experience has been incredible, the hospitality, the staff and just how luxurious it is, it’s really something I could get used to. I see myself and the family spending a lot more time here in future.”
Kerr rode the final on a surfboard he borrowed from Hawaiian Kai Lenny, after knocking a fin out in his semi-final showdown with Matt Wilkinson. “Obviously I would like to have been on my own board, especially as the waves got so good during the final. They’re easily the best conditions we’ve had so far; it was epic. Obviously Joel was in rhythm, whereas I probably was forcing it a bit hard on a board that wasn’t built for me. I’m really looking forward to tomorrow though, we could be finishing with a bang if conditions hold up.”
The first semi-final was the day’s slowest heat, Parkinson accounting for Lenny on the strength of an 8.27 and a 7.00. Lenny had a 7.07 on his opening wave but couldn’t find a backup, and was forced to settle for a third place. Things heated up in the second semi-final as Wilkinson, famed for his incredible backhand, unleashed a string of sizzling re-entries to lock in the highest scoring wave of the day, a 9.17. Kerr countered with a 7.60 and an 8.17 to narrowly edge in front. With Wilkinson chasing a 6.60 to make the final he came up agonisingly short, missing out by 0.1 in the closest heat of the event so far.
Due to Wiggolly Dantas (BRA) having to withdraw from the event, Kerr and Parkinson received first round walk-throughs today. In the second of the three-man round one heats, Wilkinson and Kai Lenny defeated local wildcard Mohamed Fayaz, who was thrilled to once again come up against some of surfing’s icons. “It’s such a great opportunity to me to get to surf with some of the legends of the sport,” said the man who is nicknamed Pelé. “It’s a dream come true, I’m so happy! I wasn’t nervous at all; I was just excited. I had so much fun. The guys have all been so nice and so friendly; it’s been really special. Maldivian surfing is getting better and better, and hopefully through me getting a chance to compete in this event I can show some young kids of the level that it is possible to get to.”
Conditions are primed for an epic final day tomorrow as the surfers revert back to the modern weapon of choice, the thruster. At the end of that division a grand final will be contested by the two surfers with the highest points, and while Kerr and Parkinson each have one foot in the ultimate showdown, Wilkinson, Lenny and Fayaz are all still within striking distance. We’re all set for a great day, stay tuned!
The Four Seasons Maldives Surfing Champions Trophy is hosted aboard Four Seasons Explorer – the Maldives’ ultimate surf vessel. Fans can get up close to the action with onboard VIP passes while the ‘surf tour’ experience continues with nightly events back at Four Seasons Kuda Huraa, which plays host to the contest’s competitors, judges and Tropicsurf partners.
Twin-Fin Division Results
1. Joel Parkinson (AUS)
2. Josh Kerr (AUS)
3. Matt Wilkinson (AUS) equal with Kai Lenny (HAW)
5. Mohamed Fayaz (MDV)
2019 FS Maldives Surfing Champions Trophy Leaderboard
Josh Kerr (AUS) 1900pts
Joel Parkinson (AUS) 1900pts
Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 1600pts
Mohamed Fayaz (MDV) 1500pts
Kai Lenny (HAW) 1500pts
Josh Kerr, Parko, Wilko, Kai Lenny and Pele take to the skies on the world-exclusive Flying Triggerfish a customised DHC-6-300 Twin Otter airplane by Four Seasons, and fly south to clear uncrowded waves on a Champions Trophy lay day.
Local pro Luke Dillon (GBR) advanced through his opening round at Fistral.
The QS1,000 Quiksilver and Roxy Open got underway on Wednesday at Boardmasters in windy three-to-four foot surf to complete a mammoth day of competition. The events ran through an impressive 33 heats to make the best of the conditions on offer on the opening day of the waiting period.
Big performances on Day 1 belonged to St Ives’ Jayce Robinson (GBR) who posted one of the few excellent scores (8.00 to 10.00) of the day in Round 2 before confirming his great form in the following round.
"Today I felt in my rhythm," Robinson said. "My board felt really nice under my feet and everything just synced nicely. It's a feeling us surfers all strive for, whether it's in competition or just free surfing. I'm amped to be competing again after having a year out, I think it's the break I needed. The fire has been relit and I'm super amped to stoke it for the next few years and beyond."
Frenchman Tristan Guilbaud (FRA) made light work of the tricky conditions as well in the opening heat of Round 3 to post a solid 14.66 heat total on his way to Round 4.
Stanley Norman (GBR), Jay Quinn (GBR) and Luke Dillon (GBR) are just a few of the 12 British surfers who made their heats at Fistral and will represent the host country when the Quiksilver and Roxy Open resume. Stakes are high as Russel Winter (GBR) is the first and last to have won on home soil at Boardmasters, back in 2002.
“I’ve been traveling since the start of the year so it’s nice to be home,” Dillon said. “I’ve been back for a week, getting ready for this. Waves are a bit small today but forecast looks like it’s going to get a bit bigger and stormier so it should suit me. I live down here at Fistral so it’s epic to be home”
After the completion of men’s Round 3, competition turned to the Roxy Open’s Rounds 1 and 2. The 2017 event winner Ella Williams (NZL) came back to Boardmasters and picked up right where she left off with a solid first win into Round 3.
“I’m stoked it’s nice and warm today and I’m super happy to be back,” Williams said. “Last time I was here was awesome I have many great memories, it’d be great to get a win again and that feeling back! I’ve also entered the longboard division this year, it’s actually my first competition but I really like it and it was a perfect occasion to try both.”
Competition wrapped up after Heat 4 of the women’s second round, just in time for the defending event winner Juliette Lacome (FRA) and former runner-up Yolanda Hopkins (PRT) to advance into Round 3.
The second day of surfing at Boardmasters focused on longboard action as waves got smaller and cleaner, and competition ran through the opening rounds and Quarterfinals of the Boardmasters Longboard Pro in men and women divisions.
Former event winner Alice Lemoigne (FRA) launched her campaign with a brilliant display of graceful longboarding and excellent scores to advance into the Quarters. She later repeated the feat against French up-and-comer Zoe Grospiron and moved into the Semis where she’ll face off against fellow Reunion Island surfer Ophelie Ah-Kouen (FRA) for a spot into the Final.
“I’m super happy to be back,” Lemoigne said. “I didn’t initially plan to come and compete here this year but I’ve come to realize that the European title is very important to me and I really want to try to win it again. Conditions were small and fun today, very nice on a longboard.”
The 4-time European longboard title holder, French surfer from Reunion Island, claimed the amateur World Title earlier this year as well and continues to prove she belongs amongst the very best surfers on the planet on boards 9 foot and longer.
“My season so far has been incredible with that world title in Biarritz,” Lemoigne continued. “I placed third in a big international event after that and now my focus turns on the remaining WSL events, to try to secure the European title and hopefully go all the way as well on the international stage!”
Ah-Kouen came back to competing after years away from the tour and started with a bang as she eliminated the defending event winner Aping Agudo (PHL) in their Quarterfinal matchup.
“I was really scared to get back to competing so I’m happy I started well today,” Ah-Kouen stated. “This is the first step for me and I plan on competing in the bigger events in Galicia and New York later this year. It’s my first time here and I’m loving the English vibe, it’s all very pretty. The next heat will be tough, I grew up with Alice and I know she’s a great surfer, but win or lose I’ll be happy with my performance.”
Cornish surfer Michael Lay (GBR) was very impressive in today's conditions.
In the men’s longboard event, Edouard Delpero (FRA) dominated the opening heat with a pair of excellent scores (8.17 and 8.50) to easily advance into the Quarterfinals.
“I had loads of work and haven’t surfed much all summer so it was nice to finally get back into it,” Delpero said. “In conditions like this you really have to compose with the wave, try to make yourself lighter and move up to the nose at the perfect time. It’s all about letting the board glide, my brother taught me that.”
French compatriot Benoit Carpentier was one of the closest to approach Delpero’s performance with a good heat and a solid 12.46 total on his way to the Quarters.
Michael Lay (GBR) put on a clinic of stylish longboarding on his way to a win into the Quarters. The goofy foot from Sennen delayed his take offs on clean left little runners and spent the majority of his time hanging toes outside the nose of his log to impress the judging panel.
“We have a great culture of longboarding in Sennen where I’m from with Sam Bleakley, James Parry and some other guys that are really inspiring surfers,” Lay explained. “Conditions like this really give me a chance on a board like mine, a proper log made for Noosa, and I’m happy I could show a little bit of what I do even on a beachbreak it seems to work great.”
Adrian Napper (GBR), Jordan Zervas (GBR) and local legend Ben Skinner (GBR) will also carry local hopes for a British win at Fistral when the men’s Boardmasters Longboard Pro resume.
Earlier in the day, the final four heats of the QS1,000 Roxy Open Round 2 were completed. The Quiksilver Open will likely resume tomorrow, Friday August 9.
The Four Seasons Maldives Surfing Champions Trophy got off to an incredible start today with racy overhead walls at Sultans providing the perfect canvas for some of surfing’s finest artisans to go to work on their single fins, in the first of three surfboard divisions. In a rematch of the 2012 Pipeline Masters final, which served as Australian Joel Parkinson’s world title coronation, Parkinson came up against lifelong friend and fellow Australian, Josh Kerr. “Don’t get me started on the judging at Pipe in that one!” laughed a fired-up Kerr before today’s showdown.
Parkinson has long been considered the most stylish surfer of his generation, and that theory escalates further when he rides a single-fin. This year’s competitors have come armed with modern takes on the staple surfboard design of the ’60s and ’70s, and Parkinson put on a high performance display from the start in the final, signalling his intentions with a big aerial on his opening wave to lock in a 7.33, backed up soon after with an 8.43 to place one hand on the trophy at the halfway mark. It wasn’t to be, however, as defending event champion Kerr stormed home with an 8.50 for a series of explosive manoeuvres, then a 7.90 for a huge hit on the opening section and a string of fluent turns down the line, to win the day in the dying minutes and move to the top of the leaderboard with the twin-fin and thruster divisions still to run.
“To come to Four Seasons, score pumping waves on the first day and take the win, it doesn’t really get much better!” said an elated Kerr after the final. “The vibe is great but we’re all old competitive souls so once the contest jersey goes on we want to win. Joel and I grew up in the same board riders club; he’s older than me, was always in the spotlight and has definitely got the better head-to-head record, which makes this win even sweeter.”
In the semi-finals Kerr accounted for long time Championship Tour sparring partner Matt Wilkinson (AUS) in a back-and-forth showdown, though it was Wilkinson who banked the standout moment, an incredible re-entry that earned him a 6.83 and confirmed the goofy-footer still has one of the best backhands in surfing. “That’s the best turn I’ve ever done on a right,” Wilkinson said afterwards. “That’s the most dynamic turn that anyone has ever done on a single-fin!” Kerr confirmed. “I could see half of his board out the back of the wave!” said Parkinson, who was paddling out for the second semi-final, where he made light work of local wildcard Mohamed “Pelé” Fayaz (MDV).
“I really enjoyed today,” said Parkinson. “The single fin is a challenge, it shows your flaws, but it is so fun to ride. I’ve told (two-time winner) Taj Burrow for years that I wanted to get into this event, and now I can see why he loves it here so much. This is my type of contest now that I’m retired, no pressure, good friends and a lot of fun with my family, living in luxury. I’m really excited for the twin-fin now, I feel like it should be my strongest division, so hopefully I can snare a win there and get a little bit closer to being invited back here!”
Pele repping the Maldavian crew
Due to Wiggolly Dantas (BRA) having to withdraw from the event last minute, Wilkinson and Fayaz received first round walk-throughs today. Meanwhile, in the second three-man round one heat, Kerr and Parkinson narrowly accounted for Hawaiian waterman and multi-board phenomenon Kai Lenny, on their way to the semi-finals.
The Four Seasons Maldives Surfing Champions Trophy is hosted aboard Four Seasons Explorer – the Maldives’ ultimate surf vessel. Fans can get up close to the action with onboard VIP passes while the ‘surf tour’ experience continues with nightly events back at Four Seasons Kuda Huraa, which plays host to the contest’s competitors, judges and Tropicsurf partners.
Single Fin Division Results
1. Josh Kerr (AUS)
2. Joel Parkinson (AUS)
3. Matt Wilkinson (AUS) equal with Mohamed Fayaz (MDV)
5. Kai Lenny (HAW)
2019 FS Maldives Surfing Champions Trophy Leaderboard
Josh Kerr (AUS) 1000pts
Joel Parkinson (AUS) 900pts
Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 800pts
Mohamed Fayaz (MDV) 800pts
Kai Lenny (HAW) 700pts
