Aussie Callum Robson no longer ‘flying under the radar’ after beating Bell’s Beach icon Mick Fanning

Mick Fanning’s comeback bid at Bell’s Beach may have fallen just short, but the champion surfer has hailed the ‘groms’ that are set to become the new generation of Australian surfing legends.

Fanning had come out of a two-year retirement in a bid to claim his fifth Bell’s Beach title, but his stunning run into the final 16 of the tournament was abruptly cut short by 20-year-old Callum Robson. 

In 2001, Fanning won Bells as a wildcard and last competed in the event in 2018, when he lost to Italo Ferreira in the final. 

Robson has announced himself to the world with a series of strong performances at Bells Beach that have propelled him into the final eight. 

Robson produced an after-the-siren upset to end Mick Fanning’s shot at a record fifth Bells Beach title with a 7.77-point effort on his final wave to edge out Fanning 14.50 to 14.27.

This is Robson’s first year as a qualifyer on the World Surf League (WSL) men’s world tour and the young surfer from Evans Head in New South Wales has previously flown under the radar.

‘I come from a small town, I’m not from a big surfing family or anything like that so it’s been nice to slide under the radar and go about my business,’ Robson told Nine’s Wide World of Sports in January.

He might not be able to fly under the radar anymore, reaching the final eight at Bell’s Beach and ousting a childhood hero in Fanning in the process.

Three-time WSL Champion Mick Fanning of Australia prepares himself for heat 9 during the round of 32 where he beat World No.1 Kanoa Igarashi

The 40-year-old Fanning, who has come out of retirement to chase Bells history as a wildcard, reached the last 16 after eliminating world No.1 Kanoa Igarashi in an upset on Thursday.

The three-time world champion looked in vintage form on Friday too, carving in terrific conditions to score at least 6.17 points on four separate waves.

His final-wave best of 7.5 was trumped by Championship Tour rookie Robson though, bringing the fairytale run to a abrupt halt.

“When I saw that wave coming in I took a deep breath and thought ‘alright this is my chance’,” he said.

“Waiting on the beach, I couldn’t really hear but my mates were giving me the thumbs up.

“Mick at Bells, especially when it’s absolutely pumping … he’s one of the best, so I’m pretty happy with that win.”

Fanning was greeted by son Xander on the beach, offsetting the disappointment of his first exit before the quarter-final stage from his last 14 Bells campaigns.

“It was great fun, I had a great time,” he said.

“You want to go out just surfing (well) and Callum’s a great kid, awesome to have a heat with him, one of the groms growing up at home.

“To have this little munchkin (Xander) here … it’s been a really different Bells for me, really enjoyed it, great memories.”

Callum Robson (centre) of Australia prior to surfing in Heat 1 of the Opening Round at the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach on April 11 at Bells Beach,

Earlier Owen Wright’s charge to avoid the World Surf League’s mid-season cut continued, the Olympic bronze medallist reaching the quarter-finals.

Wright came out on top in a tense round-of-16 heat against Nat Young, putting together a two-wave total of 16.40 out of 20 to eliminate the American (15.77).

It’s already the 32-year-old’s best result of 2022 as he quests to improve his lowly ranking (31) before the tour field is cut to 24 after the next stop of the year at Margaret River, WA.

Jack Robinson absorbed Imaikalani deVault’s early eight-point ride, coolly finding a late 8.47 reply to win his heat and progress to a quarter-final against Italo Ferreira.

Ethan Ewing won comfortably in his all-Australian clash with Jackson Baker and will face Wright, while Connor O’Leary and Morgan Cibilic were beaten by Brazil’s Filipe Toledo and 2019 Bells winner John John Florence.

Four Australian women will surf in Friday’s quarter-finals, while the men’s quarter finals could also take place if favourable conditions remain.