Mick Fanning Will Return To Competition At Bells Beach
Credit: WSL/Sloane
Three-time World Champion Mick Fanning is set to return to the WSL CT.
Fanning has been given a wildcard spot for the upcoming Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach event. Fanning retired from professional surfing back in 2018 at the Rip Curl Pro that year. He had a storied career that included 22 Championship Tour victories, 11 Top 5 finishes, and three World Titles during his 17 years on the tour.
“Bells is the wildcard I really wanted,” Fanning said. “Obviously, I did Narrabeen last year but Bells is the one I was really aiming for. It’s a place that is really close to my heart, and if I was ever going to take a wildcard, it would be there, so I’m pretty fired up. Personally, I really like the wave at Bells. The speed of it, the wide-open canvas, and the fact that it is a right-hand point break. I love everything that comes with Bells, the history, the cliffs, the gathering of everyone down in the car park. It’s so awesome. It’s something that sits in my heart.”
Fanning will be competing against the best on tour right now. He will be pitted up against the likes of Italo Ferreira, Kelly Slater, Kanoa Igarashi, and more. In the opening round, Fanning will hop in with Filipe Toledo (BRA) and Samuel Pupo (BRA).
“To go and ring the Bell for the fifth time, no one has ever done it apart from Gail Couper,” Fanning continued. “During my career, I got close, but right now I just want to focus on putting on a good performance. My preparation when I was on Tour was non-stop training but this time around I’ve just been focusing on my surfing and making sure it’s up to the level of the best in the world.”
Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach Men’s Opening Round 1:
Heat 1: Seth Moniz (HAW), Callum Robson (AUS), Ryan Callinan (AUS)
Heat 2: Italo Ferreira (BRA), Zeke Lau (HAW), Imaikalani deVault (HAW)
Heat 3: Kelly Slater (USA), Nat Young (USA), Owen Wright (AUS)
Heat 4: Griffin Colapinto (USA), Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA), Mikey Wright (AUS)
Heat 5: Filipe Toledo (BRA), Samuel Pupo (BRA), Mick Fanning (AUS)
Heat 6: Kanoa Igarashi (JPN), Lucca Mesinas (PER), TBD
Heat 7: Jordy Smith (ZAF), Frederico Morais (PRT), Matthew McGillivray (ZAF)
Heat 8: John John Florence (HAW), Connor O’Leary (AUS), Jackson Baker (AUS)
Heat 9: Conner Coffin (USA), Caio Ibelli (BRA), Joao Chianca (BRA)
Heat 10: Kolohe Andino (USA), Jack Robinson (AUS), Jadson Andre (BRA)
Heat 11: Miguel Pupo (BRA), Jake Marshall (USA), Deivid Silva (BRA)
Heat 12: Barron Mamiya (HAW), Ethan Ewing (AUS), Morgan Cibilic (AUS)
Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach Women’s Opening Round 1:
Heat 1: Lakey Peterson (USA), Gabriela Bryan (HAW), Courtney Conlogue (USA)
Heat 2: Tatiana Weston-Webb (BRA), Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS), Bronte Macaulay (AUS)
Heat 3: Carissa Moore (HAW), Isabella Nichols (AUS), TBD
Heat 4: Brisa Hennessy (CRI), Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), Molly Picklum (AUS)
Heat 5: Johanne Defay (FRA), India Robinson (AUS), Luana Silva (HAW)
Heat 6: Malia Manuel (HAW), Tyler Wright (AUS), Bettylou Sakura Johnson (HAW)
The event at Bells is the fourth spot on this year’s tour and will be taking place from April 10 to April 20, 2022.
