Straddie’s Ethan Ewing wins first spot in Aussie Olympic team heading to Paris 2024
It’s been a massive year for Straddie pro surfer Ethan Ewing, who secured the first spot in Australian Surfing’s team heading to next year’s Paris Olympics, weeks after winning the prestigious Bells Beach title, once held by his late mum.
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Straddie pro surfer Ethan Ewing has secured the first spot in Australian Surfing’s team heading to next year’s Paris Olympics, despite being runner-up after a disappointing round at Jeffreys Bay, South Africa this week.
The 25-year-old was unable to bag back-to-back wins following his spectacular performance at Bells Beach where he won the prestigious Men’s World Surf League trophy in April.
That victory was bittersweet as it was where his late mother Helen Lambert took out the women’s title 40 years ago, becoming part of surfing history.
Ewing, who will be the country’s highest-ranked male surfer by the end of the year, is guaranteed a place in the Olympic team which will head to Paris for the Games, which will run from July 26 to August 11, 2024.
To qualify for an Olympic position, Australian men surfers have to finish in the top 10 in the 2023 WSL rankings or record wins at the 2024 ISA World Surfing Games.
It’s huge,” Ewing told the World Surf League after the competition.
“It’s been a huge goal of mine and to go to the Olympics, especially at a wave like Teahupo’o, it’s going to be exciting and something to work towards.”
Surfing made its Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020, where Owen Wright won the bronze medal for Australia.
Surfing Australia national high performance director Kare Wilcomes congratulated Ewing and said it was a massive win for Australia and Queensland.
“Ethan is such an iconic surfer in and out of the water and we can’t wait to see him perform on the Olympic stage at Teahupo’o.”
Thepro surfer, who grew up testing his skills with his brothers on the point breaks at Cylinder and other Straddie beaches paid tribute to his mum after his April win at Bells.
Helen, who reared her family of three sons on the island, died of breast cancer aged 39, in 2005, when Ethan was six.
But she left a legacy for her sons to draw from, winning state and national titles, the Hang Ten Pro in California, a qualifying series in Indonesia, and took on the role as president of the Point Lookout Boardriders’ Club before establishing the Surfing Mum’s Social Group.
Ethan, who was then ranked fourth in the world, said the win was the biggest in his career and important for his family.
“There were a lot of emotions but everything rolled really smoothly and it’s definitely the biggest win of my career so far,” he said.
“The event was really important for my family.
“Mum won it in 1983 and I’ve had her trophy next to my bed pretty much for my whole life.
“I’ve looked at that and I’ve dreamt of it and seeing her name on the stairs at Bells Beach and now having my name there, is so, so special.
“It’s been a huge goal of mine and in honour of her, I wanted to do her proud.
“Thanks to my dad, I would not be here without him … To everyone out there, tell your mum you love them because you never know what life throws at you.”
Along with following in the footsteps of his mother, the former Cleveland District State High School student is inspired by pro surfer Bede Durbidge, who also grew up at Point Lookout.
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Durbidge, 40, carved his name in surfing history when he beat seven-time champion Kelly Slater at Trestles, San Clemente, California in 2006.
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Coming through the ranks, the island now has young gun Monty Mergler who made his mark winning the cadet division.
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