Bethany Hamilton has been awarded a wildcard spot for the inaugural World Surf League Piha Pro, making her the first big name competitor secured for the WSL Challenger Series event to held in Auckland, New Zealand.

 After taking some time away from competitive surfing to film the documentary ‘Unstoppable’, the inspirational Hawaiian surfer has announced she’ll be putting a focus on competing again, starting in New Zealand in March this year.

As well as competing, Hamilton will help lead the World Surf League Rising Tides programme at Piha - a WSL program aiming to inspire the next generation of young surfers giving them the opportunity to share waves and stories with some of the world's best female surfers.

The Piha Pro will see the World Surf League return to New Zealand shores for the first time  in more than five years and will run at Auckland's Piha Beach from March 16-22, 2020.