Think Kelly’s nine-shot’s the biggest news in surfing?
Well think again. As Mr Slater wakes up to yet another record breaking effort in Spain, another champion surfer – of another generation – has done an epic job of stealing his thunder.
Peter Drouyn, former Australian junior and open champion and the inventor of man-on-man professional surfing competition, has declared himself to be … a woman. In waiting that is.
According to a report on gossip site metro.co.uk, Drouyn has re-named himself “Westerly” and is planning gender re-assignment surgery.
“I’m not afraid, I have nothing to fear,” he was reported as telling the site.
“I have more a woman’s emotional and physical make-up, except for one difference, I was born with a male appendage. It’s that simple.”
Drouyn is 58 years of age. In his previous life, the spectacularly talented surfer won numerous events through the 1960s and early ‘70s, starred in an eponymous surf movie (“Drouyn and Friends”) in 1975, and drove the first major surf event of the new pro era, the 1977 Stubbies Classic at Burleigh Heads in Queensland.
Drouyn pursued an acting career, but left that in the shade with this latest announcement, which was accompanied by a photo of the former surf star in full makeup, blonde wig and bikini top.
SURFING’s calls to Drouyn’s number went unreturned yesterday … perhaps understandably. The putative Westerly was in high demand from various tabloid media sources. After all, next to this bombshell, a nine time world champ is just kinda … normal.