Jack Robinson going from surfer dude to surfing Olympian

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As an island country home to some of the best coastlines offering killer waves, surfing is invariably tied into the Australian identity.

The sport was originally introduced in 1915 by Duke Kahanamoku, a Hawaiian native who popularised the sport, and who was also an Olympic swimmer himself. But surfing was not included in the Olympic games until 2020, where it made its debut in Japan.

The upcoming Paris games will only be its second appearance in Olympic history and we already have a rising star to cheer for with a strong chance for gold: Jack Robinson.

In this article, references are made to an official Olympics interview with Jack Robinson. Read more here: Jack Robinson exclusive: Once “reckless” teen, now cautious dad – how child prodigy grew up to rock surfing’s elite (olympics.com)

Born to shine, destined to surf

Born in Perth, Robinson moved to Margaret River when he was six, but had already been surfing for half his life. After the move, he began playing with the big kids and he reminisces fondly about how all of them were all older than him “by a decade” – surely a fun boast, but a very true one at that. Even though they were likely only 16, Jack was the tiny tot chasing after the big waves.

By the time he was 11, he made his way up to Pipeline, one of the most challenging waves not just in Western Australia, but in the whole world. His prowess did not go unnoticed and he managed to rank as the number one surfer on Surfer Magazine’s annual Hot 100 junior list at 14 years old.

Two years later, he snagged the North Shore Surf Shop Pro Junior in the Men’s Junior Tour. Robinson went on to win the WSL Qualifying Series Men’s Heroes de Mayo Iquique Pro and in 2019, he won the Volcom Pipe Pro. All this while signed to Billabong.

Robinson seemed to have it all cut out for him as a pro surfer and a celebrity athlete, but his dreams were far from over. He went on to defeat the Brazilian surfer, Filipe Toledo, a second-generation pro surfer coached by his own father, Ricardo.

Late 2019, Robinson won the Vans World Cup of Surfing and qualified for the 2020 World Surf League Men’s Championship Tour, though it wasn’t until 2021 did he manage to win his first Championship Tour event at the Corona Open Mexico event.

After that, it was child’s play as he took golds from every consecutive Championship Tour event, from Margaret River Pro, G-Land, Billabong Pro Pipeline, SHISEIDO Tahiti Pro, and again in his hometown, Margaret River Pro, which brings us to 2024.

Having braved Tahiti’s waves numerous times, it doesn’t mean that he doesn’t still get jitters, he shares that, “It’s got a big energy that place. The wave is just crazy and exciting and perfect. It’s everything you could want as a surfer, but you got to have respect for the wave too, because it can really, really hurt people.”

But despite his anxiety at the upcoming surfing event, Robinson is still a popular favourite according to My Betting Sites to snag gold for his country.

Humbling losses that did nothing to curtail his ambition

Kelly Slater, an American professional surfer is someone that Jack Robinson looks up to, in fact, in the early days, many magazines were calling Jack Robinson the “next Kelly Slater”, so much so that when he got the opportunity to go up against him as a wildcard, Robinson jumped on it, thinking that he might have a shot at unseating the WSL (World Surf League) champion.

Jack would come off that Championship Tour feeling very much put in his place, but he was only 15 and being able to go head-to-head with someone you look up to is an honour and he was able to laugh about it, “I lost to Kelly Slater! I was 15 and I thought I could beat him!”

It is one thing to laugh at your own arrogance and quite another to create something constructive out of it. Instead of taking the loss to heart, Robinson reiterated that to him, surfing isn’t just about winning and out-performing others. It’s about being close to nature and it is something that he truly enjoys.

In his own words, “Surfing is about as close as we get to nature, and it just makes me happy. It’s as simple as just getting in the ocean and going surfing and catching a wave. It makes you happy. You come out a better person.”

Child prodigy becomes a father himself

Though Jack welcomed his son in early 2024, that has not deterred his ambition of becoming the greatest surfer in the world. He has continued to dedicate himself to the sport and is gearing up for the performance of his life.

He attributes many of his successes to his father’s unconventional way of raising him. Trev opted the homeschool method and was determined in exposing Jack to rough waves even at a tender age, though never neglecting his sportsmanship.

Trev took it upon himself to ensure that Jack was instilled with impeccable manners and anyone who has met Jack can be a living testament to the way that he greets everyone with a firm handshake and a steady gaze. His demeanour has made him the kind of person that wins fans and garners support from everyone he meets.

The fame of the game hasn’t gotten to his head at all and when he looks at the career he’s made out of surfing, he only has this to say, “I think it was a full childhood just because of where I grew up. I still got to have fun and be a kid, but it was full. It came with its challenges, for sure, when I travelled, and sponsors, everything. But in the long run, you got to get through it. That’s part of the job.”

Trev Robinson truly took a chance on his son but it has paid off in leaps and bounds, evident in the way that he has gone from a small town boy with a love for water to a professional surfer now up for gold at Paris 2024.

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