Mikey’s in the mix as Kelly’s out
KELLY Slater’s loss is Australian young gun Mikey Wright’s gain.
Wright gets the chance to consolidate his claims to a fulltime berth on surfing’s World Championship Tour next year when he replaces the legendary American in the field at fearsome Teahupo’o in Tahiti.
Making great use of wildcard entries, 21-year-old Wright is ninth on the WCT points standings with five of the 11 events remaining following third placings at the two events in Bali in June.
He has been promoted to the main draw for Teahupo’o, scheduled to start today, after 11-times world champion Slater withdrew, not feeling ready despite attempting a comeback from a lingering foot injury.
Also missing is defending world champion John John Florence, who remains sidelined with a knee injury.
Right in the thick of the title hunt at No.2 in the rankings, Australia’s Julian Wilson will be also defending the Teahupo’o title he won last year.