Wilson carries flag for Aussie title bid
IS Australia’s world surfing supremacy under threat?
Simple answer is yes, but it’s not over bar the shouting until the last World Surf League events in Hawaii at Pipeline for the men and Honolua Bay for the women in December.
There’s still a long way to go and barely at the halfway mark with six more world championship events.
Australia’s great hope, Coolum’s Julian Wilson, has reclaimed the No.1 jersey after a redeeming runner-up performance at Bali’s Uluwatu against Brazil’s oldest rookie, 32-year-old William “Kung Fu Panda” Cordoso.
The week before Wilson stumbled at the Bali Pro at Keramas but made amends at Ulu to regain his cool composure and the yellow jersey.
He is Australia’s best chance at winning this year’s world title although snapping at his heels is a posse of Brazilians, Filipe Toledo, Italo Ferreira, Gabriel Medina – and now the Panda – in the rankings order.
The next Aussie in line is wildcard Mikey Wright in seventh place.
The 22-year-old brash Aussie is the younger brother of world tour competitors Owen Wright and three-time world women’s champion Tyler Wright.
Mikey is making the most of his wildcard status despite not qualifying for this year’s tour and has been given entry to this year’s world tour owing to injured competitors Ciao Ibelli and Kelly Slater. As a future world title aspirant, Wright is almost a certainty to qualify for next year’s tour and join his brother and sister permanently on the world stage.
Australia’s world title mission rests wholly and solely on Wilson’s shoulders.
Further down the ranks and in danger of not requalifying for the 2019 tour is 2012 world champion Joel Parkinson, who is languishing in 28th place.
Parko will be hoping to revive his flagging fortunes with next month’s JBay event in South Africa, where he first won there as a wildcard in 1999.
The women’s world title is just as close with California’s Lakey Peterson leading by a mere 45 points or half a turn from six-time world champion Stephanie Gilmore, who is seeking a seventh world title.
Both world title challengers fell short in the semis at Uluwatu but will be no doubt fired up at Jeffreys Bay, a right-hand point break much like their home breaks at Rincon (Peterson) and Snapper Rocks (Gilmore).