Oney Anwar gets Rip Curl Pro Bells wildcard

Oney Anwar & Mick Fanning © Grambeau

Rip Curl Pro
Presented by Ford

ASP World ChampionshipTour Event
ASP Women's World Championship Tour Event
Bells Beach, Victoria Australia
27 March - 7 April 2013

Live Coverage | Results/Photos/Videos etc

Oney Anwar headed to the 2013 Rip Curl Pro, Bells Beach with mate Mick

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 15 March, 2013 : - - Indonesian surfing sensation Hairil ‘Oney’ Anwar has been awarded the men's wildcard for the 2013 Rip Curl Pro presented by Ford. The young talent will come up against the best surfers in the world at Bells Beach Victoria including 2 x ASP World Champion and defending event champ Mick Fanning, and last year’s runner up, 11x ASP World Champion Kelly Slater.

The 19-year-old natural footer who hails from the remote Indonesian village of Lakey Peak on the island of Sumbawa, has been living on Australia's Gold Coast since 2007, earning his high school diploma and training with friend and mentor Mick Fanning.

“I still can’t believe it, I'm so stoked to receive the wildcard and get to surf against the top guys in such an iconic event. Ever since I competed in the Rip Curl GromSearch finals at Bells as a junior in 2009, I’ve wanted to surf in the Rip Curl Pro main event” commented Oney.

In 2010, Oney became the first-ever Indonesian surfer to win an ASP Pro Jr. event when he claimed the Dripping Wet Pro Junior at South Curl Curl Beach on Sydney’s northern beaches. He then starred in Rip Curl’s landmark ‘Seven Ghosts’ river surfing expedition in 2011.

Now Oney has his sights set on becoming the first Indonesian surfer to qualify for the elite ASP World Championship Tour and is using his first-ever appearance in an ASP World Championship Tour event to get some experience for the journey ahead.

“It’s a great opportunity to see how I compare. I want to make the WCT in the future and this event will push me harder to qualify and be part of those top 34 surfers in the world” said Oney.

The Rip Curl Pro is presented by FORD with partners the Victorian Government, Momentum Energy, Mophie, Tooheys Extra Dry, Jim Beam, Skullcandy, Red Bull, Telstra, Surf Coast Shire, Surfing Life Magazine, Fuel TV, Ozmosis, Nova, CO2 Australia, Coastalwatch Plus and co-managed by Surfing Victoria.

The 2013 Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach will be webcast LIVE via live.ripcurl.com and broadcast live on Fuel TV in Australia and Portugal, ESPN in Brazil and MCS Extreme in France, Luxembourg, Belgium, Switzerland, Africa and Mauritius. You can also watch the event live via the Rip Curl Pro iPhone app, available free in the iTunes App Store.