Fanning’s fairy tale finish
Aussie returns after 2015 shark encounter to win J-Bay Open
MICK Fanning’s fairy tale finish at the J-Bay Open last Saturday, when he defeated Hawaiian prodigy John John Florence in the final, has firmly cemented the 35-yearold Australian’s legendary status as one of the best competitive surfers of all time.
After his traumatic and highly publicised encounter with a shark during last year’s final, watched live on television and the internet by a million people, and later by tens of millions more via video clips, many speculated that there would never be another major event at Jeffreys Bay and doubted whether Fanning would return to Supertubes.
But the World Surf League consulted the surfers and they decided that J-Bay would remain on the schedule. And Fanning, despite only competing in selected events this year, was always going to return to “right the wrongs of last year”, as he put it.
Arriving in J-Bay 10 days before the event to acclimatise and fine-tune his equipment and performance, Fanning injured his ankle in a free-surfing session.
He contemplated returning home but eventually spent a week under intense medical supervision while watching his peers rip up a classic Supertubes swell.
As luck would have it, the seeding dictated that he would be in the first heat of the event. Paddling out with strapping on his ankle, Fanning turned in an inspired performance, winning the encounter and progressing directly to round three, giving himself another two days to recover.
From then on he was unbeatable, scoring nine-point rides at will as he cruised to one victory after another. On the final day he outpointed dynamic aerial wizard Filipe Toledo, of Brazil, in the quarter-finals to set up a rematch against fellow Aussie Julian Wilson in a repeat of last year’s dramatically curtailed final.
Staying patient in the clean but inconsistent conditions, Fanning only rode two waves in the 35-minute duel but made them count to defeat the inform Wilson by 17.10 to 15.27.
Florence, meanwhile, had advanced past South Africa’s Jordy Smith in the quarters and used his patented aerial attack to net a couple of eightpoint rides and overcome Josh Kerr, of Australia, in a high-flying semi-final clash.
The final was a tense affair, with Fanning flawlessly carving and floating over the fast-breaking sections, and Florence flying through the air at every opportunity, staying in contention despite Fanning posting a near-perfect 9.93 point ride.
But as time ran out, it was Fanning who fittingly rode the final wave of the event, increasing his lead, so the young Hawaiian had to be content with second place.
“It’s definitely a very different feeling, this win,” said Fanning on the podium. “There was a real emotional build-up coming back here this year.
“I’m stoked that I got to come back and right the wrongs that happened last year. I’ve done that now, so I can move on.”
A three-time world champion, Fanning’s win saw him match Kelly Slater’s record of four victories at Jeffreys Bay. He pocketed nearly R1.5 million along with 10 000 points that moved him up to fifth place in the rankings behind current leader Matt Wilkinson, Florence, Gabriel Medina and reigning world champion Adriano de Souza.