Surfest champions crowned as epic week at Merewether beach comes to close

The Advertiser

8 hours ago

West Australian Jacob Willcox and Portugal's Francisca Veselko etched their names onto the storied Surfest honour roll in front of a packed Merewether beach on Sunday.
Willcox defeated Olympic gold medallist Kauli Vaast (French Polynesia), who eliminated local hope Ryan Callinan in the semi-finals earlier on Sunday, in a tight men's final while Veselko also broke through for her first win on the World Surf League's second-tier Challenger Series (CS) by beating tour veteran Sally Fitzgibbons.
Fitzgibbons is a three-time Surfest champion and was looking to become the first surfer in history to win the long-running event four times.
The Gerroa 34-year-old led midway through the 35-minute final before Veselko followed up a 6.17-point effort with a 7.50-point ride to post a combined best-two-wave total of 14.60 out of a possible 20 points, which Fitzgibbons (12.20) was unable to overhaul.
It was an emotional win for the 22-year-old Portuguese surfer and former world junior champion, who shed tears in the water before riding a victory wave with arms raised in the air to shore.
"I'm honestly lost for words," Veselko, the first woman from Portugal to win at Surfest, said.
"I'm just so happy to share this final with Sally, such a legend. I've always looked up to her ... she's such a warrior, a true inspiration and super resilient. She just fell of the tour and she's already fighting for the dream to be on the world tour again."
Willcox, 28, set up his maiden CS victory with a 6.83-point opening wave before the ocean went flat for a large chunk of the final.
Both surfers posted late waves but the Margaret River goofy-footer held on for a 12.30 points to 11.56 points win.
"I've been waiting a long time for this," Willcox, from Margaret River, said.
"A lot of losses have got me to this point, and it's so special.
"I love Newy. It's bloody God's country. I stay with an amazing family here and have so much support. I'm kind of in disbelief, to be honest. I've dreamt of this moment so many times.
"The final was pretty slow in the end, but I was just telling myself that sometimes the ocean just gets on your side and gives you some luck, and you find some rhythm, and I feel like this week I found some rhythm and some luck.
"That's the thing with our sport, you just never know when you're going to get your moment. My moment was today, so I was stoked."
After an epic day of barrel rides and pumping surf on Friday, sets, although good when they did come through, were at times few and far between on Sunday.
Callinan was the sole surviving local on Surfest Sunday and booked passage to the semi-finals with a commanding quarter-final victory over American Dimitri Poulos.
The 33-year-old goofy-footer produced a solid 8.33-point ride midway through the semi-final but Vaast scored 9.10 out of a possible 10 points on the wave behind him to end up sealing a win.
From there, the ocean went flat and Callinan (12.66) could not find another wave to overhaul the 23-year-old's winning score of 14.60.
"I feel like I surfed it well and it was kind of a risk at that stage to even wait for the second one," Callinan said.
"It's been on and off. The second one had been better sometimes and the first one had been better most of the day, so I don't know. To get an eight on a wave it's not a mistake, so I set up myself up with a good opportunity but it just didn't break again.
"I made the most of my opportunities but sometimes it's out of your control."
The Novocastrian and new dad, who missed the Championship Tour mid-season cut in Margaret River two weeks earlier, was mobbed by an excited group of grommets as he exited the water after his semi-final loss.
"Coming into the week I didn't really have any expectations ... I was just excited to surf and try to put some heats together and surf a lot of heats if I could, but just try to get my performance back and be home and soak it all in, so I really felt like I did that," Callinan said.
"Having the crowd and the support of the beach, even from the days it was pumping up the beach, I already felt like I'd won.
"It's nice to see how much the community embrace their locals and you really feel loved coming from here in sport, especially in these events.
"To see it on such a big stage like this and everyone show up, and even though I lost they're all still stoked to see me, is pretty cool."
Surfest was the opening leg of the seven-event 2025-26 Challenger Series, from which the top-10 men and top-seven women will qualify for next year's top-tier Championship Tour.
It was announced last Monday that the iconic Newcastle contest will also be the last stop of the Challenger Series next March.
The next CS contest is in South Africa from June 30.
West Australian Jacob Willcox and Portugal's Francisca Veselko etched their names onto the storied Surfest honour roll in front of a packed Merewether beach on Sunday.
Willcox defeated Olympic gold medallist Kauli Vaast (French Polynesia), who eliminated local hope Ryan Callinan in the semi-finals earlier on Sunday, in a tight men's final while Veselko also broke through for her first win on the World Surf League's second-tier Challenger Series (CS) by beating tour veteran Sally Fitzgibbons.
Fitzgibbons is a three-time Surfest champion and was looking to become the first surfer in history to win the long-running event four times.
The Gerroa 34-year-old led midway through the 35-minute final before Veselko followed up a 6.17-point effort with a 7.50-point ride to post a combined best-two-wave total of 14.60 out of a possible 20 points, which Fitzgibbons (12.20) was unable to overhaul.
It was an emotional win for the 22-year-old Portuguese surfer and former world junior champion, who shed tears in the water before riding a victory wave with arms raised in the air to shore.
"I'm honestly lost for words," Veselko, the first woman from Portugal to win at Surfest, said.
"I'm just so happy to share this final with Sally, such a legend. I've always looked up to her ... she's such a warrior, a true inspiration and super resilient. She just fell of the tour and she's already fighting for the dream to be on the world tour again."
Willcox, 28, set up his maiden CS victory with a 6.83-point opening wave before the ocean went flat for a large chunk of the final.
Both surfers posted late waves but the Margaret River goofy-footer held on for a 12.30 points to 11.56 points win.
"I've been waiting a long time for this," Willcox, from Margaret River, said.
"A lot of losses have got me to this point, and it's so special.
"I love Newy. It's bloody God's country. I stay with an amazing family here and have so much support. I'm kind of in disbelief, to be honest. I've dreamt of this moment so many times.
"The final was pretty slow in the end, but I was just telling myself that sometimes the ocean just gets on your side and gives you some luck, and you find some rhythm, and I feel like this week I found some rhythm and some luck.
"That's the thing with our sport, you just never know when you're going to get your moment. My moment was today, so I was stoked."
After an epic day of barrel rides and pumping surf on Friday, sets, although good when they did come through, were at times few and far between on Sunday.
Callinan was the sole surviving local on Surfest Sunday and booked passage to the semi-finals with a commanding quarter-final victory over American Dimitri Poulos.
The 33-year-old goofy-footer produced a solid 8.33-point ride midway through the semi-final but Vaast scored 9.10 out of a possible 10 points on the wave behind him to end up sealing a win.
From there, the ocean went flat and Callinan (12.66) could not find another wave to overhaul the 23-year-old's winning score of 14.60.
"I feel like I surfed it well and it was kind of a risk at that stage to even wait for the second one," Callinan said.
"It's been on and off. The second one had been better sometimes and the first one had been better most of the day, so I don't know. To get an eight on a wave it's not a mistake, so I set up myself up with a good opportunity but it just didn't break again.
"I made the most of my opportunities but sometimes it's out of your control."
The Novocastrian and new dad, who missed the Championship Tour mid-season cut in Margaret River two weeks earlier, was mobbed by an excited group of grommets as he exited the water after his semi-final loss.
"Coming into the week I didn't really have any expectations ... I was just excited to surf and try to put some heats together and surf a lot of heats if I could, but just try to get my performance back and be home and soak it all in, so I really felt like I did that," Callinan said.
"Having the crowd and the support of the beach, even from the days it was pumping up the beach, I already felt like I'd won.
"It's nice to see how much the community embrace their locals and you really feel loved coming from here in sport, especially in these events.
"To see it on such a big stage like this and everyone show up, and even though I lost they're all still stoked to see me, is pretty cool."
Surfest was the opening leg of the seven-event 2025-26 Challenger Series, from which the top-10 men and top-seven women will qualify for next year's top-tier Championship Tour.
It was announced last Monday that the iconic Newcastle contest will also be the last stop of the Challenger Series next March.
The next CS contest is in South Africa from June 30.
West Australian Jacob Willcox and Portugal's Francisca Veselko etched their names onto the storied Surfest honour roll in front of a packed Merewether beach on Sunday.
Willcox defeated Olympic gold medallist Kauli Vaast (French Polynesia), who eliminated local hope Ryan Callinan in the semi-finals earlier on Sunday, in a tight men's final while Veselko also broke through for her first win on the World Surf League's second-tier Challenger Series (CS) by beating tour veteran Sally Fitzgibbons.
Fitzgibbons is a three-time Surfest champion and was looking to become the first surfer in history to win the long-running event four times.
The Gerroa 34-year-old led midway through the 35-minute final before Veselko followed up a 6.17-point effort with a 7.50-point ride to post a combined best-two-wave total of 14.60 out of a possible 20 points, which Fitzgibbons (12.20) was unable to overhaul.
It was an emotional win for the 22-year-old Portuguese surfer and former world junior champion, who shed tears in the water before riding a victory wave with arms raised in the air to shore.
"I'm honestly lost for words," Veselko, the first woman from Portugal to win at Surfest, said.
"I'm just so happy to share this final with Sally, such a legend. I've always looked up to her ... she's such a warrior, a true inspiration and super resilient. She just fell of the tour and she's already fighting for the dream to be on the world tour again."
Willcox, 28, set up his maiden CS victory with a 6.83-point opening wave before the ocean went flat for a large chunk of the final.
Both surfers posted late waves but the Margaret River goofy-footer held on for a 12.30 points to 11.56 points win.
"I've been waiting a long time for this," Willcox, from Margaret River, said.
"A lot of losses have got me to this point, and it's so special.
"I love Newy. It's bloody God's country. I stay with an amazing family here and have so much support. I'm kind of in disbelief, to be honest. I've dreamt of this moment so many times.
"The final was pretty slow in the end, but I was just telling myself that sometimes the ocean just gets on your side and gives you some luck, and you find some rhythm, and I feel like this week I found some rhythm and some luck.
"That's the thing with our sport, you just never know when you're going to get your moment. My moment was today, so I was stoked."
After an epic day of barrel rides and pumping surf on Friday, sets, although good when they did come through, were at times few and far between on Sunday.
Callinan was the sole surviving local on Surfest Sunday and booked passage to the semi-finals with a commanding quarter-final victory over American Dimitri Poulos.
The 33-year-old goofy-footer produced a solid 8.33-point ride midway through the semi-final but Vaast scored 9.10 out of a possible 10 points on the wave behind him to end up sealing a win.
From there, the ocean went flat and Callinan (12.66) could not find another wave to overhaul the 23-year-old's winning score of 14.60.
"I feel like I surfed it well and it was kind of a risk at that stage to even wait for the second one," Callinan said.
"It's been on and off. The second one had been better sometimes and the first one had been better most of the day, so I don't know. To get an eight on a wave it's not a mistake, so I set up myself up with a good opportunity but it just didn't break again.
"I made the most of my opportunities but sometimes it's out of your control."
The Novocastrian and new dad, who missed the Championship Tour mid-season cut in Margaret River two weeks earlier, was mobbed by an excited group of grommets as he exited the water after his semi-final loss.
"Coming into the week I didn't really have any expectations ... I was just excited to surf and try to put some heats together and surf a lot of heats if I could, but just try to get my performance back and be home and soak it all in, so I really felt like I did that," Callinan said.
"Having the crowd and the support of the beach, even from the days it was pumping up the beach, I already felt like I'd won.
"It's nice to see how much the community embrace their locals and you really feel loved coming from here in sport, especially in these events.
"To see it on such a big stage like this and everyone show up, and even though I lost they're all still stoked to see me, is pretty cool."
Surfest was the opening leg of the seven-event 2025-26 Challenger Series, from which the top-10 men and top-seven women will qualify for next year's top-tier Championship Tour.
It was announced last Monday that the iconic Newcastle contest will also be the last stop of the Challenger Series next March.
The next CS contest is in South Africa from June 30.
West Australian Jacob Willcox and Portugal's Francisca Veselko etched their names onto the storied Surfest honour roll in front of a packed Merewether beach on Sunday.
Willcox defeated Olympic gold medallist Kauli Vaast (French Polynesia), who eliminated local hope Ryan Callinan in the semi-finals earlier on Sunday, in a tight men's final while Veselko also broke through for her first win on the World Surf League's second-tier Challenger Series (CS) by beating tour veteran Sally Fitzgibbons.
Fitzgibbons is a three-time Surfest champion and was looking to become the first surfer in history to win the long-running event four times.
The Gerroa 34-year-old led midway through the 35-minute final before Veselko followed up a 6.17-point effort with a 7.50-point ride to post a combined best-two-wave total of 14.60 out of a possible 20 points, which Fitzgibbons (12.20) was unable to overhaul.
It was an emotional win for the 22-year-old Portuguese surfer and former world junior champion, who shed tears in the water before riding a victory wave with arms raised in the air to shore.
"I'm honestly lost for words," Veselko, the first woman from Portugal to win at Surfest, said.
"I'm just so happy to share this final with Sally, such a legend. I've always looked up to her ... she's such a warrior, a true inspiration and super resilient. She just fell of the tour and she's already fighting for the dream to be on the world tour again."
Willcox, 28, set up his maiden CS victory with a 6.83-point opening wave before the ocean went flat for a large chunk of the final.
Both surfers posted late waves but the Margaret River goofy-footer held on for a 12.30 points to 11.56 points win.
"I've been waiting a long time for this," Willcox, from Margaret River, said.
"A lot of losses have got me to this point, and it's so special.
"I love Newy. It's bloody God's country. I stay with an amazing family here and have so much support. I'm kind of in disbelief, to be honest. I've dreamt of this moment so many times.
"The final was pretty slow in the end, but I was just telling myself that sometimes the ocean just gets on your side and gives you some luck, and you find some rhythm, and I feel like this week I found some rhythm and some luck.
"That's the thing with our sport, you just never know when you're going to get your moment. My moment was today, so I was stoked."
After an epic day of barrel rides and pumping surf on Friday, sets, although good when they did come through, were at times few and far between on Sunday.
Callinan was the sole surviving local on Surfest Sunday and booked passage to the semi-finals with a commanding quarter-final victory over American Dimitri Poulos.
The 33-year-old goofy-footer produced a solid 8.33-point ride midway through the semi-final but Vaast scored 9.10 out of a possible 10 points on the wave behind him to end up sealing a win.
From there, the ocean went flat and Callinan (12.66) could not find another wave to overhaul the 23-year-old's winning score of 14.60.
"I feel like I surfed it well and it was kind of a risk at that stage to even wait for the second one," Callinan said.
"It's been on and off. The second one had been better sometimes and the first one had been better most of the day, so I don't know. To get an eight on a wave it's not a mistake, so I set up myself up with a good opportunity but it just didn't break again.
"I made the most of my opportunities but sometimes it's out of your control."
The Novocastrian and new dad, who missed the Championship Tour mid-season cut in Margaret River two weeks earlier, was mobbed by an excited group of grommets as he exited the water after his semi-final loss.
"Coming into the week I didn't really have any expectations ... I was just excited to surf and try to put some heats together and surf a lot of heats if I could, but just try to get my performance back and be home and soak it all in, so I really felt like I did that," Callinan said.
"Having the crowd and the support of the beach, even from the days it was pumping up the beach, I already felt like I'd won.
"It's nice to see how much the community embrace their locals and you really feel loved coming from here in sport, especially in these events.
"To see it on such a big stage like this and everyone show up, and even though I lost they're all still stoked to see me, is pretty cool."
Surfest was the opening leg of the seven-event 2025-26 Challenger Series, from which the top-10 men and top-seven women will qualify for next year's top-tier Championship Tour.
It was announced last Monday that the iconic Newcastle contest will also be the last stop of the Challenger Series next March.
The next CS contest is in South Africa from June 30.