Mikey Wright’s 9.83 was the wave of the day and won him the event. Photo: Cait Miers/WSL
South Straddie was pumping for finals day of the Boost Mobile Pro Gold Coast Monday. The surf started off clean with plenty of barrel opportunities but South Straddie soon showed itself as the shifty beach break it is turning into a heaving mess and forcing adaptations from all competitors. Barrels became welcome surprises rather than par for the course by the middle of the day, and surfers were forced to focus on rail work and nailing end-sections to produce scores, with plenty of wipeouts had by all. “”Like I said yesterday, I think I’ll be having to have fifty showers because I have sand absolutely everywhere, I think my stacks were better than my waves,” said Isabella Nichols.
Isabella Nichols proved she’s ready for the CT. Photo: WSL/Kelly Cestari
Youth and adaptability was the name of the game, something both of the winners carry in spades. Isabella Nichols, the 23-year-old WCT #20 just barely squeaked on tour at the end of 2019, winning the final QS event of the year at the Port Stephens Toyota Pro locking in the number one spot on the QS. This confirmed her advancement just as she was preparing to give up on competitive surfing and make the shift to her backup plan: university studies in engineering. Judging by her performance in this event, and the Jeep Leader Jersey she’ll be wearing at Margaret River, the backup plan is on hold.
Twenty-four-year-old Mikey Wright was coming off a persistent back injury from last season that saw him withdraw from events including the Margaret River Pro. However, he seems to have made a full recovery over quarantine as he put on a stellar performance at the Boost Mobile Pro, dropping an 8.50 in the semis and a stout 9.83 in the final. Do the judges even give 10s in warm-up events like these? We’re all learning as we go in the age of COVID.
Mikey Wright rocking the beard/mullet combo. Photo: WSL/Cait Miers
Runner-up competitors Sophie McCulloch and Liam O’Brien also put on strong performances throughout the event, Sophie making it to the finals as a wildcard, and Liam showcasing his aerial steeze in the final with a full rotation boost that, if landed, would have probably put him back in the running against Mikey for the win. Another highlight was the Heritage Heat, which saw Brendan Margieson take the win against living legends Mark ‘Occy’ Occhilupo, Bede Durbidge and others.
Overall, The Australian Grand Slam of surfing has been kind to the Wright family, with Tyler’s win at the Tweed Coast Pro (she was eliminated early here, unfortunately) and now her younger brother taking out the Gold Coast. Oldest sibling Owen made it to the quarters of the Boost Mobile Pro where he was eliminated by Jack Robinson. The pressure will be on for older brother Owen to bring home some sort of bacon at the final stop of the Australian Grand Slam, the Margaret River Pro, which should take place sometime in October. Stay tuned.
