Australian Mick Fanning defeats world No 1 in surfing return at Bells Beach

Veteran Mick Fanning has come out of retirement to eliminate Japanese world No 1 Kanoa Igarashi in their World Surf League Bells Beach showdown.

A four-time champion at the famed Victorian surf break, Fanning went toe to toe with the Olympic silver medallist with their Thursday heat going down to the wire.

Igararashi needed 8.94 to move past the Australian 40-year-old but with the score delivered after the close of the heat, he only managed 8.0. Fanning’s combined total for his best two waves was 15.77 to his rival’s 14.83.

He was joined in the round of 16 by a swag of Australians including Owen Wright, Jackson Baker, Ethan Ewing, Connor O’Leary and Morgan Cibilic.

Former world No 1 and 2019 Bells champion John John Florence banked the best score of a day, earning a 9.93 to also advance.

Fanning won Bells as a wildcard in 2001 and last surfed the event in 2018 before his retirement, when he lost to Italo Ferreira in the final.

“As a wildcard you want to come in and put on a performance,” said Fanning, who was swamped by fans on the beach. “Going up against the world No 1 I had nothing to lose, I just came here to have fun.”

After catching six waves in the 30-minute heat he said he was feeling “gassed”. “I didn’t realise my fitness level wasn’t up to it,” he said. “This old boy ain’t fit.”

Wright, the Olympic bronze medallist, knocked out Griffin Colapinto in the first heat, out-scoring the American 13.67 to 12.34 in a tight 30-minute eliminator.

World No 7 Colapinto came into the competition as one of the form surfers after cracking his first title in Portugal last month.

After a slow start Wright was trailing Colapinto with four minutes to go in the heat before he scored a 7.50 with his third wave to take the lead.

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