Imagine a 2016 J-Bay Open with no Mick Fanning. That’s something everybody with eyes on professional surfing has had on their mind with a giant question mark hanging from above for much of the past week. He’d arrived in South Africa early so he could prepare himself for the contest and likely the media-you-know-what-storm that would surround the one year anniversary of a contest that featured him fending off a shark in a live broadcast. Then he rolled his ankle and we all thought “uh oh.
“Obviously I was shattered thinking I wasn’t going to surf, but after seeing the physio, signs started to look positive, and with some rehab and strapping,” Fanning told the WSL after the initial injury. “I’m hoping I’ll be able to paddle out and compete. J-Bay is a very special place to me so I am going to do everything I can to paddle out.”
We’ve all waited and hoped since – wanting to see Mick make the comeback. So on Tuesday morning, just one day before the whole thing would kick off with or without him, Fanning took to Instagram to put out the final word.
Good to go tomorrow! Ankle will hopefully hold in for the event, had a surf on it this morning and went better than expected. Thanks to Elmien Hugo for working on it all week. Super excited to go again at the #jbayopen.
