Australian pro surfer Mick Fanning—who made headlines globally last month, after a terrifyingly close encounter with a shark at the J-Bay Open—has returned to professional surfing less than four weeks after South Africa, competing in top form at Teahupoo in Tahiti this morning.
Fanning led his first heat of the competition at the Billabong Pro in Tahiti, nailing his performance as ever. Dude is literally unbreakable:
.@Mick_Fanning‘s back! #BillabongProTahiti: http://t.co/j8L3gi6r2e http://t.co/CTnaZKdYiZ
— #BillabongProTahiti (@wsl) August 15, 2015
“It was just great to get back in the singlet and focus on surfing again,” Fanning said, according to the ABC.
Fanning added that he is done with last month’s hype, prioritising his current performance over media attention. “There had been so much hype about the incident at J-Bay and so much media attention. I just wanted to move on.”
Mick Fanning is swiftly beelining toward a fourth world title; four competitions post-Tahiti are to be contested before taking home another coveted gong, and firmly marking his place as one of the nation’s greatest athletes.
Via ABC.
Lead image by Kelly Cestari via Getty.
