Riding on the big waves is not everyone’s cup of tea. But surfing icon Bianca Valenti has just what it takes to be the best. Valenti won the Nelscott Reef Oregon Big Wave World Tour in 2014. She also got her name etched in history books by becoming the first female to win the first Women’s Big Wave Champion in Latin America at the Puerto Escondido Cup. However, nature is a force that can belittle even the best.
The World Champion surfer recently faced a dangerous wipeout. A social media clip featured the incident that left the entire surfing world in fear and worrying about the prodigy.
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The surfing world stares in shock at the wipeout video
A videographer, Tucker Wooding, shared a fearful video the caption of which reads, “Gnarly wipeout at Mavs just now”. In the clip, Bianca Valenti is seen leading a big wave at Mavericks but unfortunately faces a fall on her head. The big waves are seen groping her in its potency. It was one of the most dangerous wipeouts witnessed in recent times. As the enthusiasts started voicing their concerns in the comment section, things turned better after a while.
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Bianca Valenti took to the comment section to relieve everyone that she was safe. She wrote, “It looks bad but I’m okay”. However, the fierce champ in her showed up as she further wrote, “just wish I would’ve made it.” This very nature of Valenti to conquer the odd also dazzled when she voiced her displeasure against the gender inequality in surfing.
Valenti’s contribution to a major cause
Bianca Valenti grew up looking up at Kelly Slater with a poster of the surfing legend in her bedroom, as she hails him as “The greatest surfer in the world”. She entered the waters first when she was just seven. From the very start, because there was no girl’s division, Valenti used to compete against the boys. Initially, it was fun. But a brutal truth struck her as she grew up further. In her teenage days, she noticed that as she stood atop the podium, the prize money and sponsorships were nowhere closer to her male counterparts.
It made her say, “It was heartbreaking because I kind of was realizing that, hey, you’re not going to be Kelly Slater, that poster on the wall. I couldn’t be that person no matter, pretty much no matter how good I am because of all the inequality.” With great disappointment, she sided herself from pro surfing and to vent out the same started riding big waves. That disappointment also made way to another initiative.
In the year 2016, Valenti joined hands with female surfers from the Nelscott Reef Oregon event that had a stark inequality in prize money. Together they formed a Committee for Equity In Women’s Surfing. With all efforts from the committee on Sept. 5, 2018, the WSL announced to organize women’s heats. Also, equal prize money was promised at every WSL event from then on. The world is truly relieved as this prominent voice of women’s surfing stands secured amid the scary wipeout.
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Edited by
Bhujaya Ray Chowdhury