Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 59, June 2014 | Page 30

Big Wave Warrior

Newly-crowned Big Wave World Tour World Champion
Grant ‘Twiggy’ Baker of South Africa is not only one
of the world’s best surfers, he is also one of the fittest.

Twiggy with
young fans in
Madagascar.

– BY SEAN FALCONER

L

aunching yourself down the front of a wall of moving water 80 feet
(25 metres) high might sound exciting, but even the big wave surfers who
do this admit that it is one scary sport! So says Grant ‘Twiggy’ Baker, whose
wins at the Punta Galea Challenge in Spain and Mavericks in the USA saw
him top the points standings of the 2014/2015 Big Wave World Tour at the
end of March and thus be crowned World Champ.
“I still get terrified when the waves are that big, but it’s about controlling
your fear and using it to make smart decisions, and surf smarter. If the fear
wasn’t there, you’d probably be killed, because you’d do something stupid,”
says 40-year-old Twiggy. “I’ve had friends who have drowned, and I’ve
come close, too, but that was in the old days. We’ve got a lot more safety
measures in place now, like the jetskis that tow us in and fetch us if we
come off our boards, inflatable emergency vests, better leashes, and the
right people on the jetskis with medical training and big wave experience.”

FIT TO SURF
Anybody who has tried surfing will know that it takes a lot out of you
physically, even more so as the waves get bigger, and thus Twiggy works
out in the gym regularly, doing weights and core work, plus bike work,
stepping and running on the elliptical flyer for leg work. “I played a lot of
soccer when I was younger and then tore my knee ligaments while surfing,
so I don’t run on the road any more to reduce impact on my knees. I also
do Yoga, which I find is the best possible thing for mental and physical
preparation, but the