An unlikely pair of surfing talents have secured wins at Western Australia's largest international sporting event, the Margaret River Pro.
Jack Robinson, a home-schooled former child prodigy and Isabella Nichol, who put an engineering degree on hold to chase the surfing dream, both outperformed and outlasted an international field stacked with current and former world champions to emerge as winners.
The win was particularly sweet for Robinson who grew up surfing the waves of Margaret River before being swept away in his early teens by sponsors, thrust onto the world stage and saddled with the weight of expectation.
"It's so cool, especially being at home," Robinson told the ABC in a quiet moment after the winner's presentation.
"Having all my family and friends here watching, these are the moments that you put in all the work for."
Beating the mid-year cut
Nicholls, meanwhile, was able to breathe a particularly sweet, and deep, sigh of relief because the win elevated her beyond a newly introduced mid-year cut on the World Surf League ratings.
"I feel like this is going to take a while to sink in," said Nichols, who grew up on the Sunshine Coast.
"This is just amazing."
An event never short of moments
As it has in previous years, the Margaret River Pro attracted international headlines before the final day courtesy of a six-metre wave that nearly swamped a state-funded shark monitoring vessel.
The vessel had again been deployed to assuage the concerns of competitors after multiple shark attacks forced the cancellation of the event in 2018.
It is understood its provision assisted in negotiations with the sports governing body, the World Surf League, to secure the event to Margaret River until at least 2024.
It also coincided with the relaxation of WA's remaining COVID-19-related health measures, including a mask mandate and social distancing requirements.
