WSL 2018: Julian Wilson sucks it up and emerges King of Kirra

Julian Wilson won an all-Australian men’s final in one of the more jaw-dropping days in professional surfing.

A jubilant Julian Wilson is chaired up the beach after defeating fellow Australian Adrian Buchan in a gripping final at Kirra Beach. Picture: Nigel Hallett

You pull into a dredging barrel at Kirra. Every sense is heightened. You’ve gone somewhere that is not really part of this world. A liquid kaleidoscope of incredible blues and greens. A timeless little space in which there’s no scope for conscious thought. It’s a fleeting and magical experience. Instinct takes over. You want to stay in there, but you know you have to get out.

Bursting free is exhilarating. You’ve squeezed through the eye of a needle. Falling is frightening, a sledgehammer blow that can shred tendons and/or wrench joints from sockets and/or stone-cold knock you out. It feels as if a slab of concrete has fallen on your head. When the Quicksilver Pro and Roxy Pro events were moved from Snapper Rocks to the more formidable and famous slab at Kirra, the only option was to get barrelled from dawn until dusk. High risk, high reward.

Julian Wilson won an all-Australian men’s final as one of the more jaw-dropping days in professional surfing showcased thunderous freight-train barrels for thousands upon thousands of spectators along Marine Parade.

Julian Wilson enters a Kirra barrel in the final. Picture: Nigel Hallett

Wilson defeated Adrian Buchan by 17.43 points to 15.1 despite rupturing his AC shoulder joint while mountain-biking at Glenrock National Park, near Newcastle, in January. His preparations for the Quiksilver Pro were virtually non-existent and Kirra has never been a place for the faint-hearted nor semi-injured. He started the final with a succulent barrel that earned him a heat-topping 9.93 points before saying an even more courageous physical act had fuelled his desire.

“I cannot believe I’ve won it,” said Wilson, who became a father last month to his first child, Olivia. “I’ve learned a lot about myself at this event, through this injury, the birth of my baby girl and through my wife, Ashley. Honestly, watching the birth of my first child gave me an unbelievable strength to just suck it up, come down here to Kirra and do what I needed to do. I got so much inspiration from my wife and the whole experience.’’

Kirra is a masterpiece when it’s pumping. “To have won this coming in at 75 or 80 per cent, I feel like anything is possible now,” Wilson said ahead of the Rip Curl Pro at Bells Beach from March 29.

“It gives me great confidence. Getting through any heat here was going to give me confidence. To surf with Ace (Buchan) — he gave me so much good advice when I joined the dad club. He actually played a mentor role with me when I welcomed my first child, telling me about what to expect and all the uncontrollables that can happen. Ace has been amazing for me. I couldn’t believe we were out there in the water together. He’s been the one competitor I’ve spoken to the most over the last few months.”

It was a brave performance from the surfer who gained global recognition when he swam to Mick Fanning’s assistance when a shark dropped in on their final at Jeffreys Bay in 2015.

Wilson’s fellow Sunshine Coast resident Keely Andrew lost the final of the Roxy Pro to Californian Lakey Peterson as the women proved they were more than capable of thriving in intimidating waves. The 23-year-old Andrew had knocked out six-time world champion Stephanie Gilmore in the quarter-finals and then eliminated world No 3 Sally Fitzgibbons when the shift was made to Kirra yesterday.

Peterson stared down a famous place she had never surfed before to get shacked as if she was a fearless local. She posted 15.67 points to Andrew’s 5.67.