Saturday September 24, 2022, the famous surfer Chris Davidson died after an altercation at the exit of a pub in Australia. The alleged culprit was arrested a few minutes after his attack.
The surfing world is once again in mourning. While young Hawaiian prodigy Kalani David died of a heart attack on Saturday September 17, another surfing star also died a week later. This is the famous Chris Davidson, who was victim of an assault.
According to Australian media The Sydney Morning Heraldthe facts took place around 11 p.m. at the exit of a south west rocks pub, a coastal city located between Sydney and Brisbane. The 45-year-old athlete was leaving the establishment when he got punched in the face. Faced with the violence of the blow, he would have collapsed on the ground, his head hitting the pavement. Very quickly, the police were dispatched to the scene and found the surfer unconscious. The latter was then taken care of by paramedics and received first aid. He was then taken to Kempsey Hospital where he is unfortunately died a few minutes after arriving.
The alleged culprit arrested a few minutes after the facts
After the death of Chris Davidson, the Australian police opened an investigation. Only thirty minutes after the attack on the father of two children, a suspected culprit has been arrested. This is Grant Coleman, a man who is not completely unknown since he is the brother of Darren Colemanthe rugby coach of the New South Wales Waratahs.
Arrested at his home, the man was charged with assault causing death and was denied his bail request. Grant Coleman, 42, then appeared in Port Macquarie bail court on Sunday, September 18, just hours after the famous surfer died. The verdict of the judgment has not yet revealed to the press.
The surfing world pays tribute to Chris Davidson
Chris Davidson had grown up surfing in North Narrabeen, Sydney’s northern beaches. In 1996, he made himself known worldwide by beating famed surfer Kelly Slater around the Rip Curl Pro at Bells Beach when he was just 19 years old. The sportsman then chained performances, until being ranked 14th best surfer in the world in 2010. At the time, he was described as “one of the most promising young people on the planet“.
After the announcement of Chris Davidson’s death, tributes followed on social networks and in the media. World Champion Kelly Slater expressed himself on Instagram. He stated : “I lost another soldier yesterday. I had a lot of good battles with this guy. One of the most naturally talented surfers I’ve ever known“. For his part, surfer Nathan Hedge confided in the magazine tracks. He, too, paid tribute to his friend whom he nicknamed Davo, praising his qualities. “He had a huge heart and lived at full speed” did he declare.
Finally, Mark Windon, the executive director of Surfing New South Wales told ABC : “He was one of the most stylish surfers we’ve ever produced in this country. (…) He was a larger than life character and it’s really sad that his life ends like this“. A terrible loss for the surfing worldalready twice in mourning this September.