Stab Magazine | Mikey Wright smoked Adriano De Souza with a dirty manhack

Live Now: Chapter 11 Mini-Documentary With Dane Reynolds

758 Views

Mikey Wright smoked Adriano De Souza with a dirty manhack

Mikey Wright walked into the competitors area, grabbed a pair of Quiksilver speed dealers, hugged his sister, Tyler, then tried to shake off the euphoria of beating the world champ on his World Tour debut before confronting the media. “Yeah, I didn’t even think about that (beating the world champ) til you said it,” he […]

news // Mar 13, 2016
Words by stab
Reading Time: 2 minutes

Mikey Wright walked into the competitors area, grabbed a pair of Quiksilver speed dealers, hugged his sister, Tyler, then tried to shake off the euphoria of beating the world champ on his World Tour debut before confronting the media.

“Yeah, I didn’t even think about that (beating the world champ) til you said it,” he said. “I wasn’t really thinking about that. I was just trying to get waves and surf my best.”

A 6.87 in the dying seconds for a speed float to grab-rail man-hack did the damage, defeating world champ Adriano De Souza along with Californian Kolohe Andino. The American coughed up the lead despite holding the second highest wave score of the day – a 9.10 for an aggressive run of turns and a fin throw to end.

“I didn’t know what I needed because I didn’t know what my last wave was, so I just tried to surf as good as I could on that last wave,” he said.

Making his debut against one of the most grizzled and fiery competitors on tour in Adriano was no cause for nerves, he said.

Mikey WSL Cestari

“I was more nervous in my first surf as a wildcard (in the trials). They were my biggest nerves.”

“I just know you have to surf to your best on every wave (at this level),” he said. “It’s what they all do. Every section you come at they go at 100 percent. I’ve just been working on that just trying to go 100 percent at all sections.”

It was far from a convincing win, with Mikey overcooking turns and struggling for wave quality. But he dropped the hammer when it counted, pulling off the turn of the day, and promising to give us more if the waves provide.

“Yeah, you’ll probably see more if the section provides, if I can get the right wave,” he said. “I woulda liked to have gone a lot better but I did enough to win the heat. I’ll come back for the next heat and really give it more.”

The professional freesurfer said he had a point to prove in the competitive arena but not at the expense of big power and punts.

“I just wanna show what I’ve got and what I can do and just surf how I do in freesurfs and put it into a heat,” he said.

Mikey has spent the summer on the far North NSW coast tuning up, putting him in the midst of tropical cyclones Victor and Winston and what were some of the best waves the Superbank has ever seen. He’s as comfortable out here as anyone in the draw.

“I really wanna do good and I wanna put on a show,” he said. “To go through that heat with a win… I’m stoked to go into another round.”

Mikey Sig

Comments

Comments are a Stab Premium feature. Gotta join to talk shop.

Already a member? Sign In

Want to join? Sign Up

Advertisement

Most Recent

Watch: What Happens When A Brand Takes Its Youth Team To A CT Event?

A: Good things, typically.

Mar 29, 2024

Full Frame: Scandinavia Is Surfing’s Next Frontier

A 30-hour drive, bathymetric maps, and 10 years of searching yield surfing's newest discovery.

Mar 29, 2024

Watch: João Chianca Had A Remarkable Hawaii Season Before His Injury

Plus an update on his condition.

Mar 28, 2024

Pittar’d And Feathered

Do the WSL judges deserve the internet's wrath? We asked the man of the hour.

Mar 28, 2024

Robbo, Pickles, And Tyler Wright Become The Underdogs Breakfast At Uninspiring Winkipop

The foreboding blade sharpens and inconsistent judging prevails on Day Two in Torquay.

Mar 27, 2024

“I Don’t Always Win Heats, But When I Do, I Try To Beat John John”

Slater shines and the axe begins its descent on Day 01 at Bells.

Mar 26, 2024

Back Against The Wall: The Ramzi Boukhiam Redemption

Morocco's first CT surfer on speaking six languages, having no coach, and snatching Fil Toledo's…

Mar 25, 2024

Will Kirra, Babies or JJF Stop a GOAT Winning at Bells?

Bluesky BOAG advice from a Superman specialist and former Trials winner.

Mar 25, 2024

Bells Preview: The WSL’s Victorian Sword Dancing Equinox Ritual

Will a Brazilian crack the Top 10 at Bells?

Mar 25, 2024

69 Shin Bones Later + the Anticlimactic State of Big Wave Record-Breaking

Lucas Chumbo might have surfed the biggest wave ever this year. But how will we…

Mar 23, 2024

Watch: ‘Fresh and Fried’ Ft the Quik Kids

How taxing is it to tackle the Gold Coast’s Triple Crown in a single day,…

Mar 23, 2024

The Popular Vote: The People’s Stab In The Dark With Kolohe Andino Champion

Which board looked best — to you —under Kolohe's talons?

Mar 22, 2024

Six Key Learnings From Portugal

Three CT events in, what do we know? 

Mar 21, 2024

‘Zipper’ Is Going On Tour, Here’s Where You Can Watch It  

Dates, times + locations for the Venice, Encinitas, Sydney + Byron premieres.  

Mar 20, 2024

Dane Reynolds On His Future, His Past, And Chapter 11’s Raison D’être

Our 9-minute plunge into the collective psyche of Ventura's pillar(s).

Mar 20, 2024

From ‘Blue Ribbon Cross Country Runner’ to Vogue – How Steph Again Is Back With A Rip Curl Remix

Everything we know about the she-GOATs sponsorship boomerang.

Mar 18, 2024

Stab Interview: Darren Handley Explains Why You Can’t Buy The Winning Stab In The Dark Model

And his decades-long standoff with Slater.

Mar 17, 2024

Griff Embraces Portugal’s Eternal Time Loop To Vanquish Medina + Ewing, Defay Delays The Inevitable

A redeeming closing act at Supertubos.

Mar 16, 2024
Advertisement