Going Off Script

Matt Wilkinson’s transformation from party boy to world-title contender proves that competitive surfing today is more unpredictable than ever

- Ashtyn Douglas

No more than two minutes after winning the 2016 Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach, Matt Wilkinson banged his head on a World Surf League–emblazoned sign while being chaired up the staircase toward the podium.

In Wilkinson’s defense, he was too busy high-fiving fans and making jokes with those supporting his 160-pound frame to notice the obstacle. The rectangular overhang was placed at the bottom of the iconic timber steps, and whoever hung the sign probably assumed the victor would remember to duck. But when it comes to Matt Wilkinson, it’s best not to assume anything.

Moments before in the Bells final, Wilkinson and Jordy Smith had been duking it out while an unruly Southern Ocean dealt punches in the form of burly double-overhead waves. The road to the final had been just as turbulent, with event favorites dropping like flies in the early rounds. Taj Burrow lost to Miguel Pupo in Round 2; Joel Parkinson bowed out to rookie Conner Coffin in Round 3; current world champ Adriano de Souza was ousted by wildcard Mason Ho; and Kelly Slater suffered the same fate at the hands of Michel Bourez.

On stats alone, Wilkinson wasn’t favored to win either. He had never defeated Smith in a head-to-head matchup. Hell, before his event win at Snapper the previous month, he hadn’t defeated most people in head-to-head matchups. But if the betting man learned anything from this season, it’s that the notion of an event favorite no longer carries the weight it once had. This year has been anyone’s game.