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Outlook: I was surfing world champion but no one knew my name

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PaulineMenczer_FinalEdit.jpg

05/04/2023 GMT

I was surfing world champion but no one knew my name

BBC World Service - Outlook, I was surfing world champion but no one knew my name

Pauline Menczer won her title in 1993 with the odds stacked against her in every way

Pauline Menczer won her title in 1993 with the odds stacked against her in every way. She thought the win would change her fortune but that would come later.

It's difficult for anyone to win a surfing world title, but it was even harder for Australian Pauline Menczer. She was battling sexism and homophobia and crippling rheumatoid arthritis. On the day of the 1993 World Championship she woke up and could hardly walk. It was incredible that she then went out and won, but it would take many more years for her to finally get recognition for her place at the top of the sport.

There are few people who can perform physical feats as impressive as breaking a brick with their skull. Shi Yan Ming is one of them. A kung-fu warrior monk from China who began training at the age of five, Shi Yan Ming grew up in a buddhist Shaolin temple during Chairman Mao's communist regime. When the opportunity arose to travel around the United States showcasing the temple as part of a groundbreaking tour, Shi Yan Ming jumped at the chance to go. But instead of returning to China at the end of the trip, he hatched a daring plan which would change his life forever.

Presenter: Jo Fidgen
Producer: Emily Naylor and June Christie

Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com

(Photo: Pauline Menczer surfing at the 2000 Rip Curl Hossegor Pro in France. Credit: Pierre Tostee / Stringer)

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