TITLE SLIPS, BUT FANNING WINS HEARTS WORLDWIDE
"Walking down, I'm almost in tears every time I'm paddling out. Even out in the water I'm just going through waves of emotions. A friend told me once: we can deal with anything, you've just got to do it the best you can and stay true to yourself and things will happen." - MICK FANNING after winning his quarter-final against 11-time world champion Kelly Slater. The interviewer broke down in tears after his response.
"Mick you are my hero win or lose but today is your day. All my posivibes to you! Go get em." - Women's World surfing champion CARISSA MOORE tweets her support to Fanning.
"It is extraordinary to comprehend the fact that he lost another brother yesterday. He has had such a tumultuous year. You know him. He has got extraordinary courage to go out and do all this when he is going through such a personal time." - Australia's 1999 World Champion MARK OCCHILUPO on the Seven Network.
"Out in the water, I was just telling him to focus, good luck and have fun and try and put everything out of your mind; all the pressure and personal things and just everything going on. It's hard to compete at world level but he did today and that's why he's a multi-world champ and why he's staring down at another one right now." - Eleven-time world champion KELLY SLATER, who Fanning beat twice at this year's Pipeline Masters, before eventually losing the semi-final.
"It's not what happens to you but how you respond that counts. Sending @Mick_Fanning mountains of love, support & winning vibes #forpete @wsl" - Australia's seven-time women's surfing world champion LAYNE BEACHLEY throws her support behind Fanning on Twitter.
"I thought, the universe can't be this cruel. And it also makes me think of the years we've had without Sean and how we really stuck together during that time and how beautiful it's been. Only the one thing about our family now, especially me, is that I'm much more anxious." - Fanning's mother, ELIZABETH OSBOURNE speaking to the Nine Network in August about her emotions while watching her son being attacked by a shark while competing this year in South Africa. Fanning lost another brother, Sean, in a car accident in 1998.
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