Posts Tagged ‘Bethany Hamilton’

Did you read my article on Bethany Hamilton several weeks ago? 7th November to be exact.

Five years after surviving a shark attack, she is a runner-up for a world championship. Bethany was placed second in the women’s division of the Billabong ASP World Junior Championships yesterday at Sydney, Australia. This is the event which is considered the world championship for surfers aged 20 and under.

Pauline Ado of France beat Hamilton in a hard-fought final, 13.43-12.47. Ado, 17, made ASP history as the first non-Australian female to claim the undisputed ASP Junior World Title, defeating opponent Bethany Hamilton, Hawaii, 18, in a hard-fought Final at the Billabong ASP World Junior Championships.

“I’m speechless,” Ado said. “I am so stoked. This is a dream come true. I can’t believe that I won. When I woke up this morning, I never imagined that this would happen.”

Hamilton, who lost her left arm during a Tiger Shark attack at home in Kauai in 2003, put in an inspirational performance, besting heavy event favourites Laura Enever (AUS), 17, and Leila Hurst (HAW), 16, before falling short to Ado in the Final. She is the first Hawai’i surfer to reach the final of the women’s division of the World Junior Championships.

“I’m really happy with my performance at this event,” said Hamilton, 18. “To make the final is really good for me. I haven’t had a good result in a while, so hopefully this will give me some confidence for the rest of the year.”

She will now compete on the World Qualifying Series in 2009 in an attempt to qualify for the elite Women’s World Tour.

Sitting in a waiting room yesterday (always a great place to find a tonne of magazines), I came across an article on 18-yr old Bethany Hamilton.

Writing on extreme sport over the past few months we have come across some really amazing extreme personalities, extreme adventurers and extremely brave characters, and Bethany certainly has her place amongst them.

Born and brought up on the island of Kauai, Hawaii, Bethany lost her arm at the age of 13, on October 31, 2003, when it was bitten off by a 13ft (4m) long tiger shark at a place called the “tunnels” – known by locals as a great place to catch up to 80-foot waves. Undeterred by the accident she was out surfing again 3 weeks later and got back up on her feet after the third wave and said she was “super stoked”.

Her family love to kid her about being born with salt water in her veins. At 5 she entered her first contest; by 9 she was aiming toward a pro career and had signed a sponsorship deal with Rip Curl that covered entry fees and travel expenses and got her free products.

When she began surfing again, she initially adopted a custom-made board that was longer and slightly thicker and which made it easier to paddle, but after teaching herself to surf with one arm, she is now surfing competitively again and using the competitive performance short-boards.

In July 2004 Hamilton won the ESPY Award for Best Comeback Athlete of the Year and was presented with a special courage award at the 2004 Teen Choice Awards.

In 2005 she took 1st place in the NSSA National Championships, a goal she had been trying to achieve since before the shark attack. In 2008, she began competing full-time on the ASP World Qualifying Series (WQS). In her first competition against many of the world’s best women surfers, she came in 3rd.

Her blog says that her life is now richer and fuller — and her surfing career more tangible and lucrative — than before the attack. “She’s the most recognized surfer on the planet,” says Adam Sharp, vice president of sales and marketing for Rip Curl, a leading surf-wear manufacturer that has sponsored Hamilton for the last five years.

Not long after the accident, when asked what it was that she loved so much about surfing, she said “It’s probably like the funnest thing ever. Every day you go out it’s totally different than the day before, and it’s always, like, refreshing in the water. It always takes your thoughts, like, say you’re having a bad day, and every time you usually get good thoughts after surfing, and it cheers you up.”