HE’S OUR MANN
Torquay surfer eyes world’s best
LOCAL surfer Harry Mann will have a town and a region behind him after earning a wildcard entry into the Rip Curl Pro at Bells Beach.
The Torquay 25-year-old believed he would never get another shot at the main event after finishing second in the trials five years ago.
But Mann went one better at Winkipop in yesterday’s wildcard final to realise a dream he held since he was 10 to surf at the prestigious world surf event. Mann will return to work at Rip Curl today, but will be asking his boss for a few days off as he prepares to take on some of the world’s best, including legend Kelly Slater and the world No.1, Gabriel Medina.
It was nearly a successful double for local riders yesterday, with Jan Juc’s India Robinson falling short in the women’s final, which was won by Coolangatta’s Kobie Enright.
The Rip Curl Pro waiting period starts tomorrow.
TORQUAY surfer Harry Mann is riding on cloud nine after earning a wildcard ticket into this week’s Rip Curl Pro at Bells Beach.
The 25-year-old believed he would never get another shot at the main event after finishing second in the trials five years ago, but Mann went one better at Winkipop yesterday to realise a dream of his since he was 10 years old.
“It’s really surreal, to be completely honest,” Mann told the Geelong Advertiser.
“I got second about five years ago and kind of had a couple of bad results after that.
“I never thought it was going to happen; (I thought) that was my one opportunity and I came up short. But it’s a really big weight off my shoulders, finally getting it done.
“I just can’t wait to get to the real event and soak it all in. I don’t really care how I go, I just want to perform in front of everyone and show them what I’ve got.”
Mann returned to work at Rip Curl today, but will be asking his boss for a few days off as he prepares to take on some of the world’s best, including legend Kelly Slater and world No.1 Gabriel Medina.
The born-and-bred Torquay man has followed the Bells Beach event for the last 15 years and is aiming to follow in the footsteps of his former coach Adam Robertson, who progressed from wildcard entrant to runner-up in the final a decade ago.
“My first memory was 2006,” Mann recalled. “I remember Dad gave me the day off (school) to come and watch Kelly and he won, that was so amazing. I remember sitting on the beach watching a couple of my idols, thinking ‘How cool was that?’
“And probably Adam Robertson (was) the one after that. To see Robbo get second one year (in 2009) was crazy. This guy was my coach, he coached me at (Jan) Juc and I surfed with him and he’s getting second in one of the biggest surf comps in the world. It was like ‘If he could do it, maybe I could’.”
Mann will now turn to close friend Cahill Bell-Warren for some advice, after the Torquay pair faced off in the semi-final of yesterday’s trials.
“He’s been in the main comp in the past and he’s around the same age bracket,” Mann said. “He’s the president of Torquay Boardriders, I’m the vice-president and he’s been my sparring partner for a while. “To get him down to the event and maybe give me some tips, that would be amazing.”
And Mann will nervously wait for the draw to come out to see which of his idols he’ll be forced to surf against in the opening heats.
“(Slater) is the GOAT, he’s the greatest of all time,” he said. “Even to get the opportunity to surf against him is absolutely mind-boggling.
“And Gabriel Medina, I think he’s one of the best surfers to stand on a surfboard.
“The main thing for me is making sure my equipment is right and I’m surfing the right board on the right day, because when you’re really nervous you can overthink things and make bad decisions, but I was like, if I’ve surfed one-foot Winki on this board and it felt good, I can be confident paddling out and (know) it’s going to go the same.”