After a fallow few years during which their female counterparts have enjoyed huge success, the men are back with a bang in 2022
gainst a backdrop of successive eras of champions, the past few years have been a fallow season for Australian men’s surfing. For decades they were a dominant force on the World Surf League and its predecessor competitions. The reign of Mark Richards, known simply as MR, in the early 1980s led into Tom Carroll’s two world titles.
As the competition window for the final event of the regular season opened this week at the Tahiti Pro, four Australians sit within the top 10. Connor O’Leary and Callum Robson are ninth and seventh respectively, while Ethan Ewing is third and Jack Robinson in second place. Three members of this quartet are under 24., has been the form surfer for much of the year.
But most impressive about Robinson’s sophomore season on tour has been his performances on smaller waves. Although Robinson’s aerial game has always been strong, the surfer has elevated his punishing turns on the blank canvasses of the likes of J-Bay. It is this improvement, more so than his guile in the heart of a barrel, that will see surely him become Australia’s next world champion – either at the forthcoming WSL finals in Trestles, California in September or in the years ahead.
That long-awaited first WSL win came last month. After making three semi-finals during the season, Ewing finally won through to the J-Bay final. Despite Robinson opening with an 8.83 wave, Ewing kept his nerve to post a 9.13. Combined with a strong second-best wave, Ewing held off the world No 2. Australian v Australian at the sport’s top table.Robson, meanwhile, has been busy juggling his successful rookie season with efforts to support his home community on the flood-hit NSW far-north coast.
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A new wave: return to golden era beckons for Australian men’s surfing | Kieran PenderAfter a fallow few years during which their female counterparts have enjoyed huge success, the men are back with a bang in 2022
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