<Tr> <Th> Major achievements </Th> <Td> ESPY Award (2004) NSSA National Helping Kids Champion (2005) 2nd place, ASP World Junior Championships (2008) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Website </Th> <Td> bethanyhamilton.com </Td> </Tr> <P> Bethany Meilani Hamilton - Dirks (born February 8, 1990) is an American professional surfer who survived a 2003 shark attack in which her left arm was bitten off but who ultimately returned to--and was victorious in--professional surfing . She wrote about her experience in the 2004 autobiography Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board . In April 2011, the feature film Soul Surfer was released . </P> <Table> <Tr> <Th_colspan="4;"> Placings in surf competitions </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Year </Th> <Th> Event </Th> <Th> Place </Th> <Th> Country </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1998 </Td> <Td> Rell Sun Menehune </Td> <Td> 1st </Td> <Td> USA </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 2002 </Td> <Td> Open Women's Division of the NSSA </Td> <Td> 1st </Td> <Td> USA </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> NSSA National Competition </Td> <Td> 1st </Td> <Td> Australia </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 2005 </Td> <Td> NSSA National Competition </Td> <Td> 1st </Td> <Td> USA </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 2005 </Td> <Td> O'Neill Island Girl Junior Pro tournament </Td> <Td> 1st </Td> <Td> USA </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 2006 </Td> <Td> NSSA National Championship: 18 - and - under Finalist </Td> <Td> 5th </Td> <Td> USA </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 2006 </Td> <Td> Hawaii Team Highlights </Td> <Td> 4th 5th * </Td> <Td> USA </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 2007 </Td> <Td> NSSA Regionals </Td> <Td> 1st </Td> <Td> USA </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 2007 </Td> <Td> T & C Pipeline Women's Pro </Td> <Td> 1st </Td> <Td> USA </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 2008 </Td> <Td> US Open of Surfing--Huntington Beach, California </Td> <Td> 5th </Td> <Td> USA </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 2008 </Td> <Td> Roxy Pro Surf Festival--Phillip Island </Td> <Td> 3rd </Td> <Td> Australia </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 2009 </Td> <Td> Rio Surf International in Rio de Janeiro </Td> <Td> 3rd </Td> <Td> Brazil </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 2009 </Td> <Td> Billabong ASP World Junior Championship </Td> <Td> 2nd </Td> <Td> Australia </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 2014 </Td> <Td> Surf' n' Sea Pipeline Women's Pro </Td> <Td> 1st </Td> <Td> USA </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 2015 </Td> <Td> Swatch Women's Pro </Td> <Td> 13th </Td> <Td> USA </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 2016 </Td> <Td> Fiji Women's Pro </Td> <Td> 3rd </Td> <Td> Fiji </Td> </Tr> </Table>

Surfer girl who got arm bit off by shark