Davey Cathels to miss Billabong World Junior Championships Gold Coast due to injury
Australia’s Davey Cathels has been ruled out of Billabong World Junior Championships that is scheduled to get underway in Queensland, Australia, from Friday, January 20, due to injury.
The North Narrabeen-based surfer was enjoying a free-surf session in his own back-yard, when he attempted to pull off a reverse. While performing the manoeuvre, he ended up putting too much strain on his right ankle, consequently tearing his front and partially tearing his back syndesmosis ligament respectively.
Cathels is currently the top ranked Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Junior surfer and was the favourite for the ASP World Junior Title after claiming victory at Bali, Indonesia, which was the first stop on the ASP World Junior Tour in 2011.
Forced out of the Billabong ASP World Junior Championships Gold Coast, the Australian surfer also lost his chances at clinching the ASP World Junior Title.
Talking about the unfortunate injury and missing the opportunity to lift the trophy, Cathels said, “I’m feeling pretty devastated at the moment. I’ve torn my front syndesmosis ligament and partially tore the back syndesmosis ligament. Hopefully I’ll be ready for the Australian Open at Manly. I definitely want one of the Aussie boys to take out the event and the ASP World Junior Title and keep the trophy at home, because I think at the moment the world’s best juniors are coming out of Australia.”
With Cathels out of contention for the ASP World Junior Title, his compatriot Garrett Parkes became the front-runner for the title despite sitting in third place on the rankings.
The Byron Bay-based surfer expressed disappoint over finding his fellow countrymen out of the contention for the World Junior Title, while admitting that with Cathels out, he is even more motivated to do well and bring the title to Australia as he was not the sole representative of his country in the World Tour. Therefore, he has begun to practice even harder and feels pretty confident about his chances to clinch success.
New Zealand’s Matt Lewis-Hewitt has been called in to serve as a replacement for Cathels in Billabong World Junior Championships Gold Coast.
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