THE front page of The Fiji Times on January 8, 1991, featured a young Tony Philp on the beach of Henley in Adelaide, Australia.
Shirtless and both hands raised, the then 21-year-old gave a victory sign.
Tony Philp had just won his first World Windsurfing title while representing Fiji in a contest that drew more than 300 competitors from around the world.
He had beaten several top-class rivals and claimed three world discipline titles, in the slalom, freestyle and course racing events during the 10-day championship.
“Being a world champion is something special. To be the very best in the world, only another world champion could understand or relate to that.
“Obviously it was very satisfying for me and gave me comfort in the fact that all the hard work I had put into my training and sport had paid off,” Philp told this newspaper of that historic moment.
Philp was one of two athletes who represented Fiji at the event.
His uncle, John Philp, was the other Fiji rep.
He is one of only two Fiji-born athletes, along with golfer Vijay Singh, to be ranked No.1 in their sports official world ranking list, according to Wikipedia records.
He says being ambitious is critical in any sporting activity, and by that he means succeeding not at just local or regional but at international level.
“My father influenced more than anyone. He was the first (and in fact only) person to import windsurfing equipment into Fiji,” he said.
“He was also instrumental in organising most of the races around the country and used to provide me with equipment.
“Without him I probably would not have taken the sport so seriously or accomplished as much as I did,” he says.
His advice to sporting Fijians is to always aim to be the best in the world.
“I would also go so far as saying that you would have to develop a genuine dislike to losing.
“For some people this comes naturally for me. The fear of losing is what always pushed me!”
The now 47-year-old is based in France and is a brand ambassador and adviser for The Outdoor Journal, an international outdoors and travel magazine.
He is also a consultant for the International Surfing Association (ISA), the world governing body for surfing.
