| Layne Beachley |
|
|---|---|
Beachley in August 2011 |
|
| Personal information | |
| Born | 24 May 1972 |
| Residence | Manly, New South Wales Australia |
| Height | 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) |
| Surfing career | |
| Best year | 7x World Champion 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2006 |
Layne Beachley is a former professional surfer from Manly, Australia. She won the World Championship seven times.
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At the age of 16 Beachley became a professional surfer. By the age of 20 she was ranked sixth in the world. Beachley became the Women's ASP World Champion in 1998, and won the title again in 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2006. The first woman in history to gain 7 World Championships, six of them consecutive.
In 2004, Layne was given a wildcard entry into the Energy Australia Open held at Newcastle, one of the rare occasions a woman has competed in a men's surfing event.[1]
Beachley announced on 10 October 2008 that she will retire due to her age.[2]
She has appeared in the movies Blue Crush (2002),[3] Billabong Odyssey (2003), Step into Liquid (2003), and the 2001 documentary 7 Girls.
Layne Beachley was born Tania Maris Gardner on 24 May 1972 in Sydney, Australia. Her mother was only seventeen years old and unmarried so she was soon adopted by Neil and Valerie Beachley, who lived in nearby Manly. When Layne was only six years old, Valerie suffered a post-operative brain hemorrhage and died, leaving Layne and her brother to be raised by a family friend. Beachley has spoken publicly about personal struggles, including the fact that she was conceived during a date rape and later adopted out. She met her biological mother for the first time in 1999.[4] Beachley was brought up in the competitive Manly surfing scene and was competing and winning against men's heats at 15. It is thought that here is where she had developed her strength and style that would make her an unbeaten world champion and big wave rider. Beachley was always available when possible for any worthwhile cause in the community whether it was for sewerage outfall protests or promoting the sport and charities that she is close to.
She married Kirk Pengilly, a member of the Australian rock group INXS, in October 2010.[5]
| Preceded by Lisa Anderson |
World surfing champion (Women) 1998 - 2003 |
Succeeded by Sofia Mulanovich |
| Preceded by Chelsea Georgeson |
World surfing champion (Women) 2006 |
Succeeded by Stephanie Gilmore |