- WSL / Kelly Cestari
- WSL / Kelly Cestari
Mick Fanning winning his Semifinal heat. We still expect to see some serious carving from Fanning. - WSL / Kirstin SCholtz

Mick Fanning arrived early at Jeffreys Bay this week, looking to put last year's shark incident in the rear view mirror as quickly as possible, so he could get on with the business of competing at one of his favorite waves.

But his return hit a snag during an early warmup session on his second day in town. Fanning rolled his ankle pretty badly on a little layback cutty gone wrong. He exited the water on the next wave, and was spotted limping up the beach.

Fanning Will Compete
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Mick Fanning limped off the beach Wednesday after rolling his ankle at J-Bay during a warmup session.

"Obviously I was shattered thinking I wasn't going to surf, but after seeing the physio, signs started to look positive, and with some rehab and strapping," Fanning said on Friday. "I'm hoping I'll be able to paddle out and compete. J-Bay is a very special place to me so I am going to do everything I can to paddle out."

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