Day 2 of the HIC Pro
The highly anticipated return of Dusty Payne saw him command not only the attention of spectators at Sunset Beach but the lineup as well during Day 2 of the HIC Pro. After sustaining major injuries to his skull, jaw and face from a tragic wipeout at Pipeline in January of this year, Payne persisted through months of rehabilitation to compete today and ended on top of his Round Three heat in heroic form. The North Shore transitioned from a flood warning, stormy morning into a rideable new swell that provided excellent conditions for Payne and fellow competitors on Day 2 of competition. Payne fearlessly tackled his heat and earned a 7.40 for a well-executed single turn on the outside, which gave him an early lead on Mitch Coleborn (AUS), Luke Shepardson (HAW) and Ezra Sitt (HAW), who took the place of Championship Tour (CT) surfer Jordy Smith (ZAF). The Maui surfer then backed this up with a 4.20 to jump points ahead of second-place advancer Shepardson. This is Payne’s first session at Sunset Beach after his accident and he looked confident, committed and in-form. “I tried to mentally prepare myself to be here and be back in a jersey competing again, but that all went out […]
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