We’ve already talked about several athletes here: Ítalo Ferreira, Filipe Toledo, Gabriel Medina, and Samuel Pupo. However, now it’s time to show the life and career of one of surfing’s greatest legends, the Hawaiian Andy Irons.
Irons: life and death
Andy Irons was born on July 24, 1978 in Kauai, Hawaii. The surfer died at the age of 32, on November 2, 2010, in a hotel room in Texas, United States. The cause of death, at first, was diagnosed as dengue hemorrhagic fever. But after toxicological tests, it was proven that it was drug consumption that led to a heart attack, taking the athlete’s life. Andy is survived by a wife, Lyndie Irons, who was eight months pregnant with the couple’s son, Axel Irons, who is now 11 years old.
Irons career in surfing
Three-time world champion, Andy comes from a family of surfers and in 1995 he won the National Amateur Title, but it was only the following year that the athlete reached the world spotlight. At just 17 years old, the Hawaiian entered the water at Pipeline, challenging a twelve-foot wave, and won the 1996 edition of the Pipeline Pro.
In 2002, the Kauai native won his first world title. That year, Andy lifted the heaviest cup at Bells Beach, Teahupo’o, and Pipeline. This consecrated him as an athlete of the highest level, not only for his victory on the world circuit but also for overcoming Kelly Slater, the six-time world champion.
And, in 2003, things could not have been different. Once again it was the name of Andy Irons that was stamped in the most diverse surf magazines around the world, accompanied by the title “World Champion”. As if Slater wasn’t bothered enough, Irons felt that just two titles weren’t enough. And in 2004, the Hawaiian was the leader of the world championship, surpassing his American rival for the third time in a row.
Andy Irons World Wins
- 1998: Champion of the OP Pro in Huntington Beach, USA.
- 2000: Billabong Pro champion in Trestles, USA.
- 2002: Ripcurl Pro
Champion at Bells Beach, Australia; Billabong Pro Champion in Teahupoo, Tahiti; Billabong Pro champion in Mundaka, Spain; X-BOX Pipeline Masters Champion in Pipeline, Hawaii; ASP World Champion (current WSL ). - 2003
Ripcurl Pro Champion at Bells Beach, Australia; Quiksilver Pro
champion in Tavarua, Fiji ; Quiksilver Pro Champion in Niijimas Island, Japan ; Quiksilver Pro champion in Hossegor, France ; X-BOX Pipeline Masters Champion in Pipeline, Hawaii ; ASP World Champion (current WSL). - 2004: Billabong Pro
Champion in J-Bay, South Africa; Quiksilver Pro champion in Hossegor, France; ASP World Champion (current WSL ). - 2005: Quiksilver Pro
Champion in Chiba , Japan ; Quiksilver Pro champion in Hossegor , France . - 2006: Ripcurl Pro Search
Champion in Huatulco, Mexico; Champion of the Ripcurl Pipeline Masters in Pipeline, Hawaii. - 2007: Ripcurl Pro Search
Champion in Arica , Chile . - 2010: Billabong Pro
Champion in Teahupoo , Tahiti .