Mick Fanning fights off shark in surf comp by punching it in the back

Via Sky News:

Triple World Surfing Champion Mick Fanning has made a lucky escape after a close encounter with what appeared to be a shark in the final of the J-Bay open in South Africa.
'I was just sitting there and I felt something just get stuck in my leg rope, and I was kicking trying to get it away' said Fanning of the encounter.
'I just saw fins. I was waiting for the teeth.'
The surfer wasn't injured in the near-miss and says he managed to 'get a punch into its back'.

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