Mikey Wright finding himself the centre of attention after his stunning exploits at the Quiksilver Pro but he’s happy to stay low-key
HE comes from one of the most famous families in surfing, but cult figure Mikey Wright is carving his own path in the sport, writes AMANDA LULHAM.
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AT the start of last week Australian surfer Mikey Wright was probably best known for his mullet hairstyle.
Or for being the brother of two-time women’s surfing world champion Tyler and top men’s surfer Owen.
But by Wednesday the 21-year-old had burst into the consciousness of Australian sports fans with a display of crazy surfing at the Quiksilver Pro that saw him knock out defending world champion John John Florence and 2014 champ Gabriel Medina in consecutive heats after qualifying for the event as a wildcard.
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Best of all for the laid back, lanky surfer originally from the NSW south coast town of Culburra was that watching on at Snapper Rocks were so much of his family and his dog, Bacon — a pooch so well known he didn’t need the usual VIP pass to watch on from the surfers’deck.
“He’s my best mate,” says Wright.
“He follows me around. He’s pretty cruisy. He likes to be with me. I like to be with him.”
But Wright discovered with surfing fame comes attention — at Snapper Rocks he was mobbed by fans and his every move captured by photographers. That takes some getting used to.
“I have always struggled when someone puts a camera in front of me,” he says.
“It’s like I’m a commentator for a horse race. I can’t stop talking and I have to pinch myself to slow down. I go pretty fast.”
Variously labelled last week as the sport’s new “cult figure”, the “wildest of wildcards” and the “be-mulletted giantslayer”, how did Wright deal with all the fuss? He pretended it wasn’t happening.
“I’m not too stressed out about these big names,” he says.
“I just surf every heat the same and keep to my game plan.
“I like to hang down on the beach with my dog and treat this event like a Qualifying Series event.
“I’m not into all of the attention and drama in the competitors area, I like to just do my own thing.
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“It’s a great experience coming up these big names but I don’t let it get to me. “
When the end finally came at the Quiksilver Pro — in a heat which could have secured him a quarter-final spot — Wright was out of there.
No commiseratory drinks for this surfer, he was on the road, Bacon by his side, driving to Coffs Harbour to see his girlfriend to take her “fishing for the weekend”.
Wright has the pedigree to shake things up in his sport and has seen close up that where there is a will, there is a way in surfing.
He witnessed sister Tyler win her world first crown while grieving after the death of their uncle and her second hindered by a bulky knee brace after sustaining a potentially season-ending injury.
He was the man chairing Owen, 28, up the beach at the end of the Quiksilver Pro a year ago when his brother make a winning return to the world tour after a year off learning how to walk, talk and surf again.
Now he says it is his time to show some mettle as he battles to elevate himself onto the world tour full time alongside his brother and sister.
“When I was little I used to dream of winning world titles, surfing on the world tour — now they are my goals,” he says.
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“Dreams do come true but people who say that have worked really hard to get there. It more like achieving goals than dreams coming true. It’s not like winning the lottery.”
And along for the ride will be Bacon and his much talked about mullet.
“It’s more of a life style thing. I’ve had it five years, four maybe,” he says of his hair style.
“It’s grown over the years from a fringe to an old school haircut to the traditional mullet. I like to mix it up.
“I don’t know why I like it. It’s easy. I can cut it myself or I can get can friends to cut it for me. It going to stay.”