KAILUA-KONA, Hawaii  Just 10 weeks after losing her left arm in a shark attack, Bethany Hamilton returned to competition, placing fifth in her age group in a National Scholastic Surfing Association meet.
Hamilton, who was considered one of the world's top teen surfers before she was attacked Oct. 31, credits her faith in Jesus Christ for allowing her to cope with her devastating injury. (See related story, Faith, if nurtured, can triumph over tragedy.)
According to The Associated Press, Hamilton was pleased with her return to competitive surfing.
"It was definitely a good start," said Hamilton, 13.
She kicked her left leg to help propel her surfboard into waves and occasionally struggled when pushing off the board with one hand.
"Once I got up on the board, I'm OK," Hamilton said. "Sometimes it's hard to get there."
Meet officials offered to allow Hamilton special treatment, but she declined.
"I offered to give her more time (between heats) or put her in a more favorable heat," said Bobby Lee, NSSA Hawaii Conference director. "She refused. She said she wanted to be treated like anybody else."
