Australian surfing legend Mick Fanning has survived the elimination round to fight another day in the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach in Victoria, Australia, hosted by World Surf League (WSL).
The three-time world champion, who had been in retirement since making the final at Bells in 2018, was awarded a wildcard to this year’s event, and after a poor start in the opening round, managed to put two solid scores on the board in the elimination round to finish ahead of Hawaiian Seth Moniz, thus making it through to the round of 32.
Prior to his retirement, the 40-year-old from the Gold Coast spent 17 years on the Championship Tour (CT), taking 22 CT events and four Bells victories on top of the three world titles.
“Obviously, I did Narrabeen last year but Bells is the one I was really aiming for. It’s a place that is really close to my heart, and if I was ever going to take a wildcard, it would be there, so I’m pretty fired up,” he said.
“Personally, I really like the wave at Bells. The speed of it, the wide-open canvas, and the fact that it is a right-hand point break. I love everything that comes with Bells, the history, the cliffs, the gathering of everyone down in the car park. It’s so awesome. ”
The only other two surfers in history to have won Bells four times are 11-time world champ Kelly Slater and 4-time world champ Mark Richards.
Fanning looked sharp in the shoulder to head-high onshore conditions on Tuesday, demonstrating that he’s still got some of the speed and manoeuvres he was famous for at the peak of his career, and testament to the fact that he’s kept himself in good shape and put plenty of ocean hours in since retiring from professional competition.
Meanwhile, the stand-out surfer of the men’s event so far has been Japan’s Kanoa Igarashi, who pulled a heat total of 16,24 on Monday, including a 9.07, making it look easy on the Bells waves, which can sometimes be hard to figure out.
Other promising performances included Brazilian Samuel Pupo, Australian Jackson Baker, Italian Leo Fioravanti, and Hawaiian Barron Mamiya, who each scored 13 or higher for their two best waves in the opening round.
The elimination round also saw some decent scores, with Australians Morgan Cibilic and Connor O'Leary, as well as Griffin Colapinto of the U.S. each scoring between 14 and 15 for their top two waves.
The women’s event also kicked off on Tuesday, with Johanne Defay of France a standout, scoring an opening heat total of 16.67, while Hawaiian Gabriela Bryan and Brazilian Tatiana Weston-Webb each scored over 14.
The competition is set to continue on Wednesday morning, waves permitting.
