Sunny Garcia, world surfing champion and ... underdog?
By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer
As strange as it may seem, the defending world champion may not be the surfer to beat with this year's opening event less than a week away. A torn knee ligament has a way of doing that.
Advertiser library photo • Nov. 20, 2000
Garcia tore the medial collateral ligament in his right knee during a surfing accident at Newcastle, Australia, last weekend. He was there to compete in a fund-raising event featuring current and former world champions.
"It must have been bad wax or someting," Garca said of a flip that tore his knee.
The injury could keep Garcia out of competition for up to two months, and the pain will likely linger the entire year.
"I slipped doing a backside turn, and my leg just got put in an awkward position," said Garcia, who was raised in Wai'anae but now resides on Kaua'i. Jokingly, he added: "It must have been bad wax or something."
Garcia was told by two different doctors in Australia that surgery would not be necessary. However, they also said it could take anywhere from two to eight weeks before he could start surfing again.
The 2001 World Championship Tour is scheduled to begin April 10 at Bell's Beach at Victoria, Australia. Garcia, who is the defending champion of that event, said he is not yet ready to withdraw.
He has been receiving treatment daily and has ordered a top-of-the-line athletic knee brace, which he will likely have to wear for the rest of the year.
"I'm going to stay (in Australia)," he said. "If there's even a small chance that I can surf, I'll surf. If not, then I'll rest it and come back strong in the next event. That'll put me in a hole, but it also gives me a lot of incentive for the rest of the year."
Because there are only eight contests on this year's world tour (down from 13 last year), one missed contest could prove costly. This year's second contest is May 8 at Tahiti.
"I don't know if I can afford even one bad result if I want to be in the running for another world championship," Garcia said. "So I'm sure a lot of people will be counting me out already. I'll just have to go out and prove myself again."
Garcia, 31, won his first professional world championship last year. He is one of just two male surfers from Hawai'i to win a world tour title. Derek Ho was the first in 1993.
