A week of mixed weather had seen almost 100 adaptive surfers take on the beaches of Byron Bay in the Byron first international adaptive surfing event to be held in Australia – the 2024 Australian Pro.
The championship has been held at surfing breaks at and around The Pass, and played host to competitors from several divisions to cater for most physical disabilities, including amputation, neurological impairment, paralysation and visual impairment.
Divisions included – Stand 2 – (below knee); Stand 3 – (above Knee); Any Knee Kneeling (AKK); Sit – Waveski; Unassisted Prone 1; Prone Assist; Blind/No Vision (BNV); Blind/Vision Impaired; Sit – Waveski Womens; Prone assist – Women; Blind/Vision Impaired – Women; Stand 2 – Women; Veterans, and; Any Knee Kneeling (AKK) Women.
Taylor won the Heat with a total score of 15.16 points. Photo Tree Faerie.
The Echo spoke to French surfer Guillaume Colin who arrived in the area last week to get a good look at the local break before the event.
This is not Colin’s first time in Australia. He was in Australia where he got a degree in Civil Engineering at UNSW then worked for a time in Brisbane. ‘At that time, I wasn’t in a wheelchair. I had an accident in 2015, a glider accident in the French Alps.’
Clearly, an adventurer – Colin surfs, windfoils, free dives and handbikes and hopes to do well in the event this week. He placed first in all of his heats, quarters and semis, and competed in the final, which he won, this afternoon.
At 1:05pm today, Colin won the event with a point score of 13.33. In second place was Fellipe Kizu Lima from Brasil on 11.50, Chris Oberle from the United states on 8.40 and Charles Webb also from the US on 1.77 points.
The competition will conclude at 3.30pm today where there will be presentations and merry making!
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