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Months After Horrifying Shark Attack, Australian Surfing Champion Caught a Special Appearance at the National Rugby League

Published 09/23/2023, 2:13 PM EDT

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Shark attacks are one of the most horrifying incidents that happen while an individual is enjoying the waves. While surfing the barrels, the danger lurking beneath the depths of water bodies cannot be ignored. These catastrophic accidents can happen to anyone; similarly, an Australian surfer and a multiple-time world champion once miraculously survived the jaws of a great white shark.

However, it’s been years since he had the horrific encounter with the sea beast, and now the surfer is retired and is enjoying his off-wave endeavors. In a recent update, the former world champion was spotted enjoying a National Rugby League game where he joined the victorious team in a cheerful moment.

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It was three-time surfing world champion Mick Fanning who attended a game of Penrith Panthers on September 22. Not only did he enjoy the game, but he was also captured in the Panthers’ dressing room after their victory.

In a still shared by Roasted Rugby League on their Facebook page with the caption “3x Surfing World Champ Mick Fanning leading the Panthers team song in the sheds.” As evident from the caption, Fanning was seen celebrating the victory and joining their team’s song as well.

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The moment came after the Panthers defeated the Melbourne Storm by 38-4 in the preliminary final at Stadium Australia. Penrith’s victory marks a historic achievement as they secure their fourth consecutive grand final appearance.

Mick Fanning has been a great admirer of rugby, and he is often captured attending the games of the National Rugby League. He is also considered one of the best surfers out there and has won the World Surf League’s World Tour in 2007, 2009, and 2013. However, an encounter with a shark became one of the highlights of his career.

The incident that left every surfing fan stunned

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It was the year 2015 when he was in the middle of a heat while competing at Jeffreys Bay in South Africa when he was attacked by a great white shark. However, the incident wasn’t fatal, and he survived by landing on a boat. Fanning considers himself very lucky that he could survive the attack.

Talking about the encounter, Fanning once said that when the thing happened, he jumped on the boat, and he was in shock as he had never come close to such a creature before. He also gave fun advice to the people: if they encounter a great white shark ever, just be named Mick Fanning.

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In his surfing career, Fanning was considered one of the most active free surfers in the world and has nine Australian Male Surfer of the Year awards and 22 Championship Tour (CT) triumphs under his belt.

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Written by:

Abhishek Rathore

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Abhishek Rathore is a US sports writer for EssentiallySports. He is a passionate sports enthusiast and comes with a staunch experience in content writing. So, he blended his love and passion and started writing about all things sports.
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Edited by:

Parth Sharma