47th Inductee – Joel Parkinson

One of the ‘Coolangatta Kids’ joins the Gold Coast Sporting Hall of Fame

The first professional win came at Jeffreys Bay, South Africa in July 1999, where he competed as an 18-year-old wildcard in the Billabong Pro, systematically dismantling the world’s best surfers and winning the contest in a canter.

It was the start of a stellar career that would see Joel win 12 Tour events at iconic waves like Pipeline, Sunset Beach, Jeffreys Bay, Bells Beach and California, in Bali and at his home break of Snapper Rocks.

He made the ASP/WSL Top 5 on nine occasions, won the Hawaiian Triple Crown three times in a row and featured in dozens of surf movies and magazines.

His career tally is headed by his 2012 world title and four runner-up finishes in 2002, 2004, 2009 and 2011, with his last tour win coming at the Oakley Bali Pro in 2013, where he earned one of the few perfect heats seen in history – masterfully pairing two 10-point rides.

In 2018, Joel graciously made his retirement announcement at Jeffreys Bay in salute to his 1999 wildcard appearance at the peeling right-hander.

Read more about Joel’s stunning surfing career here.

Joel Parkinson