Layne Beachley

Layne Collette Beachley AO (born 24 May 1972) is an Australian former professional surfer from Manly, New South Wales. She won the World Championship seven times. Currently she is the chair of Surfing Australia.

Layne Beachley
Beachley in August 2011
Personal information
BornLayne Collette Beachley
(1972-05-24) 24 May 1972
Manly, New South Wales, Australia
ResidenceManly, New South Wales, Australia
Height1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)
Surfing career
Major achievements
  • 7 x World Champion 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2006
  • 2005 Laureus World Alternative Sportsperson of the Year Award[1]
  • 2003 Teen Choice Awards Extreme Female Athlete of the Year
  • Surfers' Hall of Fame (inducted 2006)[2]
  • Australian Sports Hall of Fame (inducted 2011)
  • Officer of the Order of Australia (awarded 2015)
Surfing specifications
StanceRegular (natural foot)

Surfing career
Beachley was inducted into the Surfing Hall of Fame in Huntington Beach, California.

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. She is the first woman in history to win 7 World Championships, and only surfer, male or female to win six consecutive world titles. She shared the woman's record for most World Championships won with Stephanie Gilmore until Gilmore won her eighth title in 2022.

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.[3]

In 2006, Layne was inducted into the Surfers' Hall of Fame.[4]

Beachley announced on 10 October 2008 that she would retire due to her age.[5]

ASP Women's World Tour Wins
YearEventVenueCountry
1993Diet Coke Women's ClassicNarrabeen, New South Wales Australia
1994Quit Women's ClassicBells Beach, Victoria Australia
1995Rip Curl Pro FranceHossegor France
1996Cleanwater ClassicManly Beach, New South Wales Australia
1996Wahine/Airtouch ProHuntington Beach, California United States
1996Wahine Women's US Open of SurfingHuntington Beach, California United States
1996OP ProHaleiwaHawaii Hawaii
1996Quiksilver Roxy Women's ProSunset BeachHawaii Hawaii
1997Quiksilver Roxy Women's ProSunset BeachHawaii Hawaii
1998Sunsmart ClassicBells Beach, Victoria Australia
1998Diet Coke Surf ClassicManly Beach, New South Wales Australia
1998Tokushima ProTokushima Japan
1998Kahlua OpenHuntington Beach, California United States
1998Rip Curl Pro FranceHossegor France
1999Sunsmart ClassicBells Beach, Victoria Australia
1999Diet Coke Surf ClassicManly Beach, New South Wales Australia
1999Newquay ProNewquay England
1999Roxy Pro Sunset BeachSunset BeachHawaii Hawaii
2000Billabong ProGold Coast, Queensland Australia
2000Elleven Pro Women'sHuntington Beach, California United States
2000Rip Curl Pro FranceHossegor France
2000Quiksilver Roxy ProSunset BeachHawaii Hawaii
2001Billabong Pro TahitiTeahupoo, Tahiti French Polynesia
2002Roxy Pro FranceSouth West Coast France
2003Roxy Pro Gold CoastGold Coast, Queensland Australia
2004Roxy ProHaleiwaHawaii Hawaii
2006Billabong Girls ProItacare Brazil

Film appearances

She has appeared in the movies Blue Crush (2002), Billabong Odyssey (2003), Step into Liquid (2003), and the 2001 documentary 7 Girls.[6]

Television work

Beachley narrates the Seven Network factual series Beach Cops.[7]

Beachley also voices the character "Surfer" in the episode called "The Beach" of Australian Children's Cartoon Bluey on the ABC Network.

Personal life
Beachley and her husband Kirk Pengilly at the Sydney premiere of Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, 2011.

Layne Beachley was born Tania Maris Gardner on 24 May 1972 in Sydney.[8] Her mother was only 17 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 haemorrhage and died, leaving Layne and her brother to be raised by Neil.[9] 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 at the age of 27. Her biological mother already had a nickname for her, "Beach".[10]

Beachley was brought up in the competitive Manly surfing scene and was competing and winning against men at the age of 15. It was at this time that she developed her strength and style, contributing to her future success as 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 sewage outfall protests or promoting the sport and charities to which she is close.[11]

She married Kirk Pengilly, a member of the Australian rock group INXS, in October 2010.[12] They renewed their wedding vows in 2014[13] after Layne lost her wedding ring while surfing.[14] Layne first met Kirk in 2002.[15] She is stepmother to April, his daughter from a previous relationship.

She is a passionate Manly Sea Eagles supporter[16]

Recognition

Beachley received the Laureus World Alternative Sportsperson of the Year Award in 2004 and was named the Extreme Female Athlete of the Year as part of the Teen Choice Awards in 2005. She was inducted into both the Australian and US surfing halls of fame in 2006, and the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 2011.[17][18] In 2006, she was also inducted into the Surfing Walk of Fame as that year's Woman of the Year; the Walk is in Huntington Beach, California.[19]

At the 2015 Australia Day Honours, Beachley was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia for distinguished service to the community through support for a range of charitable organisations, as a mentor for women in sport, and to surfing as a world champion competitor.[20][21] She was also awarded the Australian Sports Medal in 2000 for her back to back world titles in 1998 and 1999.[22]

References
  1. "Laureus Awards - Layne Beachley". laureus.com. Archived from the original on 9 April 2015. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
  2. Surfers’ Hall of Fame - Layne Beachley Archived 9 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine
  3. Tracks, June 2004, articles "Get ya own tour" page 29, and Newcastle's Greatest Hits page 78.
  4. "Surfers' Hall of Fame". Archived from the original on 3 November 2014. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
  5. "Surf.co.nz Latest News". Archived from the original on 14 October 2008. Retrieved 13 October 2008.
  6. "Layne Beachley Filmography". imdb.com. Archived from the original on 24 September 2020. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
  7. Morcombe, John (26 September 2015). "Surf queen Layne Beachley to call the shots on new Network Seven reality show Beach Cops". Manly Daily. Archived from the original on 24 September 2020. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
  8. "Layne Beachley". encyclopediaofsurfing.com. Archived from the original on 29 June 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
  9. "The Howie Games: Episode 15: LAYNE BEACHLEY". Mark Howard. Archived from the original on 13 January 2017. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  10. "Layne Beachley reveals pain - the Geelong Advertiser". Archived from the original on 10 July 2009. Retrieved 11 November 2008.
  11. "Australian Story - Walking on Water". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 28 July 2003. Archived from the original on 25 January 2015. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
  12. "Layne Beachley's special wedding date" Archived 24 September 2020 at the Wayback Machine, "News Corp Australia", 11 October 2010
  13. longhetti, chloe-lee (4 July 2014). "Layne and Kirk renew vows with a new ring". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 24 September 2020. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
  14. "Layne Beachley has tweeted about losing her wedding ring at Freshwater Beach in Sydney" Archived 24 September 2020 at the Wayback Machine, "SBS News", 23 April 2014
  15. Daisy Dumas "Winning approach: surf champion Layne Beachley on what drives her" Archived 24 September 2020 at the Wayback Machine, "Sydney Morning Herald", 11 March 2016
  16. "Women help Eagles fly high". amp.smh.com.au. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  17. "Layne Beachley". Sport Australia Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 24 September 2020. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
  18. "Layne Beachley". Laureus World Sports Awards. Archived from the original on 2 November 2014. Retrieved 6 September 2013.
  19. "Woman of the Year". Archived from the original on 10 September 2014. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  20. "Officer (AO) of the Order of Australia in the General Division" (PDF). Official Secretary to the Governor-General of Australia. 26 January 2015. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 March 2019. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
  21. "Beachley rides top of Australia Day honours". Sky News Australia. 26 January 2015. Archived from the original on 7 July 2015. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
  22. "Layne Beachley". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 23 August 2000. Archived from the original on 22 February 2019. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
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