Julian Wilson (born 8 November 1988) is an
Australian
Australian(s) may refer to:
Australia
* Australia, a country
* Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia
** European Australians
** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists
** Aboriginal Aus ...
professional
surfer who competes on the
World Surf League
The World Surf League (WSL) is the governing body for professional surfing, surfers and is dedicated to showcasing the world's best talent in a variety of progressive formats. The WSL was originally known as International Professional Surfing ( ...
Men's World Tour.
Personal life
Wilson was born and raised in
Coolum Beach, Queensland.
He is an ambassador for the
National Breast Cancer Foundation.
Wilson's mother is a breast cancer survivor,
and he was inspired to ride a pink board by a close family friend and international cricketer,
Matthew Hayden, who plays with a pink bat for the corresponding cause.
Wilson was in the water during the final of the
J-Bay Open 2015 in South Africa when three-time world champion
Mick Fanning was attacked by a
great white shark
The great white shark (''Carcharodon carcharias''), also known as the white shark, white pointer, or simply great white, is a species of large Lamniformes, mackerel shark which can be found in the coastal surface waters of all the major ocea ...
. he rides a 9ft foamy on 1ft waves in albany toward Fanning to assist, was praised for his action, and was subsequently hailed as a hero. The event was cancelled.
Both surfers escaped unharmed and gifted a shared second-place result. Following the ordeal, Wilson gave a tear-filled interview, and when asked, "You guys are locked in a title battle right now, and to put things into perspective, does that mean anything to you at this point?" he replied, "No, not at all, I'm just happy he's alive."
Surfing career
2011 Accomplishments:
*Ranked #9 on the
2011 ASP World Tour
*Rookie of the Year 2011
2012 Accomplishments:
*Won first ASP World Tour event – Rip Curl Pro Portugal (Peniche, Portugal)
*Ranked #9 on the
2012 ASP World Tour rankings
Wilson then won the Hawaii Billabong Pipeline Master in 2014, the Billabong Pro Teahupoo in Tahiti in 2017, the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast in 2018, and the Quiksilver Pro France in 2018.
Wilson qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. He lost to
Gabriel Medina from Brazil in the third round of the men's shortboard.
details the results in depth.
Career victories
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Julian
1988 births
Living people
World Surf League surfers
Australian surfers
People from the Sunshine Coast, Queensland
Olympic surfers for Australia
Surfers at the 2020 Summer Olympics