- WSL / Ed Sloane
- WSL / Ed Sloane

"She is a super human," said Ross Williams of Bethany Hamilton's performance at the Fiji Pro. "It looked for a while there like she was gonna take this thing out [win the event]. She just had that connection the whole time between barrels and turns; it was incredible to watch."

Bethany Hamilton after winning her Round Two heat at Cloudbreak. All smiles from this Kauaian Semifinalist. - WSL / Ed Sloane

Indeed, it was. But it's not like Kauai's Bethany Hamilton hasn't already proven over the last decade that she can still compete at the Championship Tour level despite a very evident setback (she lost her entire left arm in a shark attack over a decade ago). In waves like Cloudbreak, as a goofyfooter, she isn't even able to grab the wall of the wave to stall. Yet another thing that hasn't held her back in the least.

Breaking Down Bethany's Big Day.
3:16
A look at the wildcard's stunning performances throughout the event at Cloudbreak.

Still, these days everyone is surfing significantly better and performance levels on the Women's Tour are through the roof. Earning the wildcard at the Fiji Pro this year, however, Bethany showed the world once more how talented she is, beating the now-World Champ Tyler Wright in Round Two to advance all the way to the Semis in picture-perfect Cloudbreak.

Bethany's Cloudbreak Assault.
2:23
The event wildcard fires warning shots with another big score during Round Three.

It was a story that made the Today Show and news channels the world-over. It's also hard to say if there's a mom out there that rips as hard as Bethany Hamilton does with a jersey on. Because that's another thing -- Hamilton's a mother, too.

Bethany would carry this momentum to Lowers, where yet again, she was rewarded a wildcard spot, proving she could earn a seat at the CT table.

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