Julian Wilson got back on the horse – and it wasn’t insignificant. Wins don’t come easy. At any level. Photo: Newcastle Surfest
After Julian Wilson received news that he’d been granted a WSL Challenger Series (CS) wildcard for the 2025 season, he didn’t waste any time in getting back into the competitive groove. The 2020 Olympian and former Championship Tour (CT) runner-up entered the Newcastle Surfest – a Qualifying Series 1000 event at Newcastle Beach, Australia – and took the win. But it didn’t come easily.
Wilson’s storybook return to surfing was almost cut short in his first heat. He narrowly avoided elimination in the round of 64, advancing in second place with an 11.70 heat total, just a tenth of a point ahead of Kyan Falvey, who was eliminated.
From there on out Wilson cruised through five more heats to be crowned champ. He defeated Alex Curotta in the final with a 13.37 heat total that bested Curotta’s 13.04. Other notable competitors in the event included Jackson Dorian, Reef Heazlewood, Billy Stairmand, and Jackson Baker.
“This has been a really fun event,” Wilson said. “This is the last event I won five years ago, so it’s cool to be back as I step back into competing. It’s so nice to do it at home with my family and my kids down on the beach.”
Wilson took a hiatus from competitive surfing in 2021, then he crafted a return last year with a sustained online campaign to convince the WSL to give him another chance. First, he announced his intentions to seek out a 2025 CS wildcard on his Instagram account. Then he started commenting on relevant social media posts saying he was eager to fill vacant slots on the CT.
To Wilson’s credit, his campaign went exactly as planned. Perhaps he has a future in politics. He got what he originally requested and now he’ll aim to finish in the top 10 on the CS for a spot on the 2026 CT.
