Latest news with #BellsBeachRipCurlPro
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
‘Best day of my life', ‘surreal and special': Australian victories at Bells Beach mean more to local surfers
Each of the 11 stops on the World Surf League regular season count for the same amount of points as the world's best surfers vie to secure a spot in the year-end finals. But there is no doubting that the Bells Beach Rip Curl Pro, which wrapped up its 62nd edition over the weekend, has a unique place in surfing folklore. Winning the longest running event in competitive surfing and ringing its iconic bell trophy means more than most triumphs on the WSL circuit. 'This is the best day of my life,' said Australia's Isabella Nichols, minutes after defeating junior world champion Luana Silva in the women's final on Sunday afternoon. Having clinched the victory in the water, Nichols surfed a gentle wave towards the shore – lifting her arms and ringing an imaginary bell as she went. Advertisement Related: Missed the wedding but won Bells: Australian surfer Isabella Nichols finally gets her fairytale The Queenslander's victory was all the sweeter having lost the final at the El Salvador Pro a fortnight ago, which had meant she had to miss her twin sister's wedding. At Bells, the 27-year-old was chaired up the beach by her father and coach, to rapturous applause. 'I'm bloody stoked,' Nichols later added. The significance of success at Bells – a remarkable natural sporting amphitheatre, with steep cliffs, a packed beach and frequent large swells from Antarctica – was similarly felt on the men's side of the draw. Australia's Jack Robinson downed close friend Kanoa Igarashi, in a tightly-fought final contest. After Robinson vigorously rang the bell himself, the 27-year-old was asked whether he had been waiting to do that for a long time. 'I watched Mick [Fanning], Joel [Parkinson], Kelly [Slater] do it earlier today like 10 times,' Robinson said, listing some of his idols who have previously won the Bells Pro. 'I was like: 'We're almost there, just don't get too excited, just try to stay in the moment',' he said. 'It's really surreal and special.' It was the West Australian's eighth career WSL victory. Advertisement Nichols and Robinson's heroics concluded an entertaining edition of the traditional Easter-time sporting event. Local wildcard Xavier Huxtable knocked out world No 1 Italo Ferreira, while defending champion Caitlin Simmers was beaten by previously out-of-form veteran Sally Fitzgibbons. 2023 Bells winner Ethan Ewing produced what some described as the best surfing seen at Bells in the round of 16, only to lose in the quarter-finals to Igarashi, while trials winner Morgan Cibilic rampaged all the way through to the semis. The dual domestic victories at Bells underscored the rude health of Australian elite surfing. Three of the top five female surfers in the world at the moment are Australian: Nichols, Tyler Wright and Molly Picklum (the top five at the end of the season qualify for the finals). For the men, meanwhile, Ewing and Robinson are currently second and third in the world respectively. The identity of the Bells victors also highlighted how remarkably open the WSL campaign has been to date. Approaching the season's halfway point, no surfer – male or female – has won more than a single crown. Ewing and Picklum are distinct among the respective top five rankings, having not won an event so far but instead having displayed remarkable consistency. The world's best will not have long to gather their breath from a week and a half on the Victorian surf coast. The championship tour now moves to the Gold Coast, with the first day of the window beginning on Saturday. The event was originally due to be held at Snapper Rocks at Coolangatta, but the residual impact of ex-Cyclone Alfred on the sand banks has seen the event moved to Burleigh Heads. Advertisement Related: US Olympic committee sidesteps transgender athlete policy amid LA28 buildup Then just a few days after winners are crowned in Queensland, the WSL caravan will head to Margaret River for the third and final Australian leg of this year's schedule. The Western Australian event will play host the dreaded mid-season 'cut', with only the top 22 men and 10 women continuing onwards – for the remaining stops in California, Rio de Janeiro, South Africa and Tahiti, before the finals in Fiji. Bells Beach may not be the best wave in the world. There are sometimes grumbles about its quality as a perpetual stop on the WSL calendar; it largely fired for competitors over the week and a half, although Cibilic, Ewing and Wright will all feel a little let down by the temporary absence of waves that contributed to their respective exits. But Nichols' ringing of her air bell as she surfed towards a packed beach on Sunday was an apt reminder of the special place the Bells Beach Pro has at the spiritual heart of competitive surfing. As the WSL continues its three-stop swing through Australia, Australian surfing is on top of the world.
The Guardian
28-04-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
‘Best day of my life', ‘surreal and special': Australian victories at Bells Beach mean more to local surfers
Each of the 11 stops on the World Surf League regular season count for the same amount of points as the world's best surfers vie to secure a spot in the year-end finals. But there is no doubting that the Bells Beach Rip Curl Pro, which wrapped up its 62nd edition over the weekend, has a unique place in surfing folklore. Winning the longest running event in competitive surfing and ringing its iconic bell trophy means more than most triumphs on the WSL circuit. 'This is the best day of my life,' said Australia's Isabella Nichols, minutes after defeating junior world champion Luana Silva in the women's final on Sunday afternoon. Having clinched the victory in the water, Nichols surfed a gentle wave towards the shore – lifting her arms and ringing an imaginary bell as she went. The Queenslander's victory was all the sweeter having lost the final at the El Salvador Pro a fortnight ago, which had meant she had to miss her twin sister's wedding. At Bells, the 27-year-old was chaired up the beach by her father and coach, to rapturous applause. 'I'm bloody stoked,' Nichols later added. The significance of success at Bells – a remarkable natural sporting amphitheatre, with steep cliffs, a packed beach and frequent large swells from Antarctica – was similarly felt on the men's side of the draw. Australia's Jack Robinson downed close friend Kanoa Igarashi, in a tightly-fought final contest. After Robinson vigorously rang the bell himself, the 27-year-old was asked whether he had been waiting to do that for a long time. 'I watched Mick [Fanning], Joel [Parkinson], Kelly [Slater] do it earlier today like 10 times,' Robinson said, listing some of his idols who have previously won the Bells Pro. 'I was like: 'We're almost there, just don't get too excited, just try to stay in the moment',' he said. 'It's really surreal and special.' It was the West Australian's eighth career WSL victory. Nichols and Robinson's heroics concluded an entertaining edition of the traditional Easter-time sporting event. Local wildcard Xavier Huxtable knocked out world No 1 Italo Ferreira, while defending champion Caitlin Simmers was beaten by previously out-of-form veteran Sally Fitzgibbons. 2023 Bells winner Ethan Ewing produced what some described as the best surfing seen at Bells in the round of 16, only to lose in the quarter-finals to Igarashi, while trials winner Morgan Cibilic rampaged all the way through to the semis. The dual domestic victories at Bells underscored the rude health of Australian elite surfing. Three of the top five female surfers in the world at the moment are Australian: Nichols, Tyler Wright and Molly Picklum (the top five at the end of the season qualify for the finals). For the men, meanwhile, Ewing and Robinson are currently second and third in the world respectively. The identity of the Bells victors also highlighted how remarkably open the WSL campaign has been to date. Approaching the season's halfway point, no surfer – male or female – has won more than a single crown. Ewing and Picklum are distinct among the respective top five rankings, having not won an event so far but instead having displayed remarkable consistency. The world's best will not have long to gather their breath from a week and a half on the Victorian surf coast. The championship tour now moves to the Gold Coast, with the first day of the window beginning on Saturday. The event was originally due to be held at Snapper Rocks at Coolangatta, but the residual impact of ex-Cyclone Alfred on the sand banks has seen the event moved to Burleigh Heads. Sign up to The Recap The best of our sports journalism from the past seven days and a heads-up on the weekend's action after newsletter promotion Then just a few days after winners are crowned in Queensland, the WSL caravan will head to Margaret River for the third and final Australian leg of this year's schedule. The Western Australian event will play host the dreaded mid-season 'cut', with only the top 22 men and 10 women continuing onwards – for the remaining stops in California, Rio de Janeiro, South Africa and Tahiti, before the finals in Fiji. Bells Beach may not be the best wave in the world. There are sometimes grumbles about its quality as a perpetual stop on the WSL calendar; it largely fired for competitors over the week and a half, although Cibilic, Ewing and Wright will all feel a little let down by the temporary absence of waves that contributed to their respective exits. But Nichols' ringing of her air bell as she surfed towards a packed beach on Sunday was an apt reminder of the special place the Bells Beach Pro has at the spiritual heart of competitive surfing. As the WSL continues its three-stop swing through Australia, Australian surfing is on top of the world.
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Australia's women's surfers lead local charge before bell tolls on WSL season
Australia surfer Molly Picklum is among the top local hopes for the Bells Beach Rip Curl Pro while sitting third in the WSL women's standings. Photograph: Aaron Hughes/World Surf League Every morning of competition at the Bells Beach Rip Curl Pro, the longest running surfing event in the world, begins with AC/DC. Hells Bells by the iconic Australian rockers booms through speakers around the contest site on the Victorian surf coast. The bell tolls slowly, before the guitar riff gradually builds – an overlay of drums lifts the tempo until finally, a full third of the way into the song, Brian Johnson's booming vocals begin. Advertisement When the 62nd edition of the legendary surf competition begins on Friday, the backing track will serve as a useful metaphor for the World Surf League season to date. After four gripping but relatively slowly-building events so far, the world's best surfers begin the first of three legs in Australia: Bells, the Gold Coast Pro and then the Margaret River Pro in Western Australia. Related: Australia's Isabella Nichols denied fairytale WSL title in El Salvador after 'biggest sacrifice' The WSL field have three more events at full voice before Margaret River is the scene of the dreaded 'cut', when the men's lineup drops from 34 to 22 surfers and the women are slimmed from 18 to 10. The music is beating, the lightning is flashing (at least in a figurative sense) and an intriguing Australian triple crown is underway. Thanks to a sponsor deal, the best-placed surfer from these three legs will win a car. Australia's Molly Picklum has been the most consistent women's surfer on tour this season. The 22-year-old has progressed to the last four in all four stops to date, and was runner-up in the wave pool in Abu Dhabi. But so far, an event win has eluded Picklum in 2025 – leaving her third overall, behind defending champion Caitlin Simmers and Hawaii's Gabriela Bryan with one event win each. Advertisement Bells has been a wave of mixed fortunes for Picklum; she reached the final in 2023, only vanquished by fellow Australia Tyler Wright, but failed to collect a heat win last year or on debut in 2022. 'For my name to be scratched into that Bell, it would be a dream come true,' she said on Thursday. Wright is always a threat at Bells; the two-time WSL champion sits in fifth overall, after winning the opening event of the season at Pipeline before struggling to progress through the rounds at subsequent stops. Wright and Picklum are joined inside the top 10 by compatriot Isabella Nichols, who reached the final in El Salvador a week ago, but had to miss her twin sister's wedding as a result. Two-time Bells champion Sally Fitzgibbons is the only Australian woman outside the cut-line. The veteran had looked in good form after requalifying for the WSL through the second-tier Challenger series last year, but has faltered once back on the tour – winning just two heats all year. Fitzgibbons will need to kickstart her season in Victoria if she is to have any hope of avoiding a return to the Challenger ranks after Margaret River. The Australian quartet are joined at Bells by local wildcards Carly Shanahan and Ellie Harrison. The latter, just 19, impressed last year after winning through the trials, ultimately reaching the quarter-finals. Both are part of an exciting next generation of Australian women's surfing; together with the likes of Sierra Kerr and Milla Brown, big things are expected in the years ahead. Advertisement In the men's draw, Australian Ethan Ewing will be among the favourites with his rail surfing well-suited to the long Bells lines. Ewing won the Bells title two years ago, following in the footsteps of his late mother Helen Ewing (née Lambert) – an early pioneer in women's surfing. During an emotional trophy celebration, Ewing told the crowd to 'tell your mum you love them, because you never know what life throws at you.' Ewing enters this year's edition ranked second in the world, after an impressively consistent start to the season: reaching the semi-finals in Abu Dhabi and Portugal, and the quarter-finals in El Salvador last week. Olympic silver medallist Jack Robinson will be hoping to bounce back from a disappointing showing in El Salvador, his round of 32 exit sending him tumbling to ninth place in the WSL rankings (the top five at the end of the season qualify for the finals, to be held this year in Fiji). Australian WSL rookies Joel Vaughan and George Pittar are both performing above expectations – comfortably above the cut-line to date; Pittar looked strong as a wildcard at Bells last year, and will be hoping for another good outing. With favourable conditions forecast, the Bells Beach Pro will begin in earnest on Good Friday – and is expected to run intermittently until late next week. Every morning will begin, as tradition dictates, with the AC/DC classic. Then, after the final is run and won, the two victors will ring another bell – the brass bell that adorns the celebrated trophy. It is a sacred prize; local folklore insists that 'you've got to win it to ring it.' It is an honour once described by surfing supremo Kelly Slater as 'arguably the best trophy you can win in surfing.' Certainly, few surfing titles come with a better backing track.
The Guardian
17-04-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Australia's women's surfers lead local charge before bell tolls on WSL season
Every morning of competition at the Bells Beach Rip Curl Pro, the longest running surfing event in the world, begins with AC/DC. Hells Bells by the iconic Australian rockers booms through speakers around the contest site on the Victorian surf coast. The bell tolls slowly, before the guitar riff gradually builds – an overlay of drums lifts the tempo until finally, a full third of the way into the song, Brian Johnson's booming vocals begin. When the 62nd edition of the legendary surf competition begins on Friday, the backing track will serve as a useful metaphor for the World Surf League season to date. After four gripping but relatively slowly-building events so far, the world's best surfers begin the first of three legs in Australia: Bells, the Gold Coast Pro and then the Margaret River Pro in Western Australia. The WSL field have three more events at full voice before Margaret River is the scene of the dreaded 'cut', when the men's lineup drops from 34 to 22 surfers and the women are slimmed from 18 to 10. The music is beating, the lightning is flashing (at least in a figurative sense) and an intriguing Australian triple crown is underway. Thanks to a sponsor deal, the best-placed surfer from these three legs will win a car. Australia's Molly Picklum has been the most consistent women's surfer on tour this season. The 22-year-old has progressed to the last four in all four stops to date, and was runner-up in the wave pool in Abu Dhabi. But so far, an event win has eluded Picklum in 2025 – leaving her third overall, behind defending champion Caitlin Simmers and Hawaii's Gabriela Bryan with one event win each. Bells has been a wave of mixed fortunes for Picklum; she reached the final in 2023, only vanquished by fellow Australia Tyler Wright, but failed to collect a heat win last year or on debut in 2022. 'For my name to be scratched into that Bell, it would be a dream come true,' she said on Thursday. Wright is always a threat at Bells; the two-time WSL champion sits in fifth overall, after winning the opening event of the season at Pipeline before struggling to progress through the rounds at subsequent stops. Wright and Picklum are joined inside the top 10 by compatriot Isabella Nichols, who reached the final in El Salvador a week ago, but had to miss her twin sister's wedding as a result. Two-time Bells champion Sally Fitzgibbons is the only Australian woman outside the cut-line. The veteran had looked in good form after requalifying for the WSL through the second-tier Challenger series last year, but has faltered once back on the tour – winning just two heats all year. Fitzgibbons will need to kickstart her season in Victoria if she is to have any hope of avoiding a return to the Challenger ranks after Margaret River. The Australian quartet are joined at Bells by local wildcards Carly Shanahan and Ellie Harrison. The latter, just 19, impressed last year after winning through the trials, ultimately reaching the quarter-finals. Both are part of an exciting next generation of Australian women's surfing; together with the likes of Sierra Kerr and Milla Brown, big things are expected in the years ahead. In the men's draw, Australian Ethan Ewing will be among the favourites with his rail surfing well-suited to the long Bells lines. Ewing won the Bells title two years ago, following in the footsteps of his late mother Helen Ewing (née Lambert) – an early pioneer in women's surfing. During an emotional trophy celebration, Ewing told the crowd to 'tell your mum you love them, because you never know what life throws at you.' Ewing enters this year's edition ranked second in the world, after an impressively consistent start to the season: reaching the semi-finals in Abu Dhabi and Portugal, and the quarter-finals in El Salvador last week. Sign up to From the Pocket: AFL Weekly Jonathan Horn brings expert analysis on the week's biggest AFL stories after newsletter promotion Olympic silver medallist Jack Robinson will be hoping to bounce back from a disappointing showing in El Salvador, his round of 32 exit sending him tumbling to ninth place in the WSL rankings (the top five at the end of the season qualify for the finals, to be held this year in Fiji). Australian WSL rookies Joel Vaughan and George Pittar are both performing above expectations – comfortably above the cut-line to date; Pittar looked strong as a wildcard at Bells last year, and will be hoping for another good outing. With favourable conditions forecast, the Bells Beach Pro will begin in earnest on Good Friday – and is expected to run intermittently until late next week. Every morning will begin, as tradition dictates, with the AC/DC classic. Then, after the final is run and won, the two victors will ring another bell – the brass bell that adorns the celebrated trophy. It is a sacred prize; local folklore insists that 'you've got to win it to ring it.' It is an honour once described by surfing supremo Kelly Slater as 'arguably the best trophy you can win in surfing.' Certainly, few surfing titles come with a better backing track.
