Latest news with #CaitMiers
Perth Now
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Perth Now
Fitzgibbons forced to wait in bid to avoid cut in Margs
Sally Fitzgibbons' bid to automatically re-qualify for next year's world tour is on hold until at least Friday, and likely through to next week, after conditions at the Margaret River Pro deteriorated on Wednesday. The veteran is locked in a tense battle with Lakey Peterson of the USA and Brisa Hennessy of Costa Rica to stay inside the top-14 who will get a spot on the 2026 World Surf League championship tour as part of the expanded women's field. All three also remain an outside chance to jump into the top 10 and keep their place for the rest of this season. But they all face tough round-of-16 heats when competition does resume, with Fitzgibbons up against current world No.1 Gabriela Bryan, Peterson two-time world champion Tyler Wright and Hennessy reigning world champion Caitlin Simmers. MARGARET RIVER, WESTERN AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA - MAY 20: Sally Fitzgibbons of Australia after surfing in Heat 1 of the Elimination Round at the Western Australia Margaret River Pro on May 20, 2025 at Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia. (Photo by Cait Miers/World Surf League) Cait Miers Credit: Cait Miers / World Surf League With so much on the line and rising onshore winds and swell, organisers called off plans to run the women's heats on Wednesday afternoon, adding that Thursday would also be a lay day. Onshore winds are also forecast through to Sunday, meaning competition will likely resume next week with the window open until Tuesday. Fitzgibbons, a 12-time CT winner and three-time world title runner-up (2010, 2011, 2012), has had to fight her way back on tour via the challenger series after missing the cut the past two years and survived only via a wild-card the year before that. MARGARET RIVER, WESTERN AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA - MAY 20: Lakey Peterson of the United States after surfing in Heat 2 of the Elimination Round at the Western Australia Margaret River Pro on May 20, 2025 at Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia. (Photo by Cait Miers/World Surf League) Cait Miers Credit: Cait Miers / World Surf League She became emotional after a drama-filled elimination round heat on Tuesday, telling of her burning desire to keep fighting for her place on tour. 'It's just a lot,' a teary Fitzgibbons said. 'I just want to keep fighting and trying my best. It's the whole scenario of riding the highs and lows of it.' Local wild-card Bronte Macaulay and Australian title contenders Molly Picklum and Tyler Wright will also be in action when women's heats resume. A call on whether that will be Friday will be made tomorrow.
Perth Now
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Perth Now
Mamiya fires at The Box after a last-minute Robbo lesson
When Barron Mamiya wanted intel on surfing at The Box, he knew exactly where to look. With 6-8ft conditions pumping at the iconic slab wave about 700m north of Main Break, Hawaiian Mamiya paddled out before dawn on Wednesday to watch local guru Jack Robinson free surfing the break he knew so well. 'I hadn't surfed there in two or three years,' Mamiya said, adding he's maybe only been out two or three times total. 'I knew Jack was out because he was sending some videos in the group chat early, early. And I was like, 'I'm going to go out there and watch him'. 'I sat in the channel and I just watched him for like an hour. I was kind of just watching where he was taking off and what he was doing, and the waves that he wanted, and once I did that I got a good idea. 'Obviously he's one of the best barrel riders out there.' The last-minute study session paid off immediately when round-of-16 heats resumed at the World Surf League Margaret River Pro later that morning. MARGARET RIVER, WESTERN AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA - MAY 21: Griffin Colapinto of the United States surfs in Heat 1 of the Round of 16 at the Western Australia Margaret River Pro on May 21, 2025 at Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia. (Photo by Cait Miers/World Surf League) Cait Miers Credit: Cait Miers / World Surf League Mamiya had the top-six scoring waves in his match-up against American Jake Marshall, including back-to-back 8.00 and 7.17 barrel rides, on his way to a two-wave 15.17 to 5.73 heat win. He will next face Japanese/Australian goofy-footer Connor O'Leary, who upset Kanoa Igarashi. O'Leary, who arrived in Margaret River in danger of falling below the mid-season cut-line, has now secured his future this season with what is already his best finish of the season. 'Getting through (the cut) yesterday was a huge weight off my shoulders,' he said after an 8.50 to 2.50 win. 'Coming into today I just set myself with no expectations. It is a different challenge, a less nerve-wracking and less stressful one and more like a really exciting opportunity to get a good barrel.' Earlier, American Griffin Calapinto rode one of the waves of the day, emerging from the foam of a deep barrel and raising his arm in amazement before scoring a 9.00 on his way to beating Australian wild-card Mikey McDonagh. 'I feel like that is one of the best heats of my life,' he said. 'Getting barrelled in the jersey is the dream. 'That 9.00, I was kind of baffled myself. I got the the bottom and thought I could stand tall and cruise and next thing the wave was so fast the foam ball just lifted me up and you can kind of see my fin come out and I was almost going 180 degrees backwards and I thought I blew it . . . but then it shot me back out.' MARGARET RIVER, WESTERN AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA - MAY 21: Griffin Colapinto of the United States surfs in Heat 1 of the Round of 16 at the Western Australia Margaret River Pro on May 21, 2025 at Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia. (Photo by Cait Miers/World Surf League) Cait Miers Credit: Cait Miers / World Surf League Local hope Jacob Willcox and Leonardo Fioravanti of Italy also advanced to the quarterfinals at The Box before the contest was moved back to Main Break. Jordy Smith of South Africa, who has moved up to No.2 in the ranking, and Imaikalani deVault of Hawaii, who needs to win the event to survive the cut, also advanced in the remaining round-of-16 heats before conditions saw organisers call off competition, likely until the second-last day of the window on Monday. Watch the WSL Margaret River Pro live and free on 7PLUS MEN'S ROUND-OF-16 RESULTS HEAT 1: Griffin Colapinto USA 16.00 (9.00, 7.00) def. Mikey McDonough AUS 2.43 (1.50, 0.93) HEAT 2: Leonardo Fioravanti ITA 12.16 (6.83, 5.33) def. Miguel Pupo BRA 7.04 (5.17, 1.87) HEAT 3: Connor O'Leary JPN 8.50 (5.67, 2.83) def. Kanoa Igarashi JPN 2.50 (1.50, 1.00) HEAT 4: Barron Mamiya HAW 15.17 (8.00, 7.17) def. Jake Marshall USA 5.73 (3.33, 2.50) HEAT 5: Jacob Willcox AUS 12.50 (8.17, 4.33) def. Joao Chianca BRA 4.07 (3.70, 2.17) HEAT 6: Crosby Colapinto USA 6.53 (4.50, 2.03) def. Jackson Bunch HAW 3.34 (2.17, 1.17) HEAT 7: Jordy Smith RSA 17.33 (9.50, 7.83) def. Marco Mignot FRA 7.17 (4.67, 2.50) HEAT 8: Imaikalani deVault HAW 15.33 (8.50, 6.83) def. Alan Cleland MEX 8.26 (5.33, 2.93)
