Latest news with #Fitzgibbons
The Advertiser
26-05-2025
- Sport
- The Advertiser
Fan favourite suffers double blow at Margaret River
Sally Fitzgibbons has suffered more heartbreak at Margaret River, with the veteran enduring a cruel loss to world No.1 Gabriela Bryan that has also wrecked her start to next season. With surfing resuming at the West Australian break on Monday after a three-day wait, Fitzgibbons was one of five Australian women in the round of 16. Molly Picklum, Isabella Nichols and local wildcard Bronte Macaulay all won their match-ups, while Tyler Wright went down. Fitzgibbons needed to beat Bryan, the defending Margaret Pro champion, to avoid the top-10 mid-season cut for the third successive year. A victory in the heat would also secure 14th-ranked Fitzgibbons a place on the 2026 Championship Tour after the WSL announced a larger women's field next year. If Wright had beaten Lakey Peterson, Fitzgibbons would have requalified, but instead the Californian veteran took the final spot, sending the Australian back to the Challenger Series. Fitzgibbons opened their heat by attacking a wave to earn a 6.83, and with Bryan uncharacteristically falling off a few waves, the 34-year-old NSW surfer looked in control. She bettered her back-up score with a nervous 4.33, leaving Bryan requiring a 7.33 score to reach the quarter-finals. But with 90 seconds remaining the Hawaiian launched on to a wave and showed off her power moves in a two-turn combination, wowing the judges to score a 9.00 to take out the heat. An emotional Fitzgibbons stayed out in the water, devastated to have let the win - and the opportunities it secured - slip away. "I think for the first, like, 98 per cent of that heat it was all going against me, I could not get it together," Bryan said. "I'm like, I just need to do two big turns, and I hit the first one as hard as I could and then I was like, OK, just finish this thing, and it all worked out. So I was so stoked that wave came." World No.3 Picklum and 31-year-old wildcard Macaulay met in the quarter-finals with the Margaret River surfer prevailing in an upset, 15.00 to 12.54. Chasing the title her dad Dave won in 1989, Macaulay, who announced her retirement late last year to pursue a teaching career, will next face American Caitlin Simmers. Former champions Nichols and Peterson then squared off, with the latter continuing her impressive form to advance 16.34 to 14.33. Peterson - who will take on Bryan in the semis - also cemented a spot above the mid-season cut line. In the men's quarter-finals local qualifier Jacob Willcox, who was the sole Australian remaining, was outclassed by a hungry Crosby Colapinto 15.66 to 11.10. He will next meet South African veteran Jordy Smith, who took over the rankings lead with his win over Hawaiian Imaikalani deVault. Older brother Griffin Colapinto posted a perfect 10 for a soaring, spinning aerial as he booked a semi-final berth against another Hawaiian Barron Mamiya, with the title to be decided Tuesday. Sally Fitzgibbons has suffered more heartbreak at Margaret River, with the veteran enduring a cruel loss to world No.1 Gabriela Bryan that has also wrecked her start to next season. With surfing resuming at the West Australian break on Monday after a three-day wait, Fitzgibbons was one of five Australian women in the round of 16. Molly Picklum, Isabella Nichols and local wildcard Bronte Macaulay all won their match-ups, while Tyler Wright went down. Fitzgibbons needed to beat Bryan, the defending Margaret Pro champion, to avoid the top-10 mid-season cut for the third successive year. A victory in the heat would also secure 14th-ranked Fitzgibbons a place on the 2026 Championship Tour after the WSL announced a larger women's field next year. If Wright had beaten Lakey Peterson, Fitzgibbons would have requalified, but instead the Californian veteran took the final spot, sending the Australian back to the Challenger Series. Fitzgibbons opened their heat by attacking a wave to earn a 6.83, and with Bryan uncharacteristically falling off a few waves, the 34-year-old NSW surfer looked in control. She bettered her back-up score with a nervous 4.33, leaving Bryan requiring a 7.33 score to reach the quarter-finals. But with 90 seconds remaining the Hawaiian launched on to a wave and showed off her power moves in a two-turn combination, wowing the judges to score a 9.00 to take out the heat. An emotional Fitzgibbons stayed out in the water, devastated to have let the win - and the opportunities it secured - slip away. "I think for the first, like, 98 per cent of that heat it was all going against me, I could not get it together," Bryan said. "I'm like, I just need to do two big turns, and I hit the first one as hard as I could and then I was like, OK, just finish this thing, and it all worked out. So I was so stoked that wave came." World No.3 Picklum and 31-year-old wildcard Macaulay met in the quarter-finals with the Margaret River surfer prevailing in an upset, 15.00 to 12.54. Chasing the title her dad Dave won in 1989, Macaulay, who announced her retirement late last year to pursue a teaching career, will next face American Caitlin Simmers. Former champions Nichols and Peterson then squared off, with the latter continuing her impressive form to advance 16.34 to 14.33. Peterson - who will take on Bryan in the semis - also cemented a spot above the mid-season cut line. In the men's quarter-finals local qualifier Jacob Willcox, who was the sole Australian remaining, was outclassed by a hungry Crosby Colapinto 15.66 to 11.10. He will next meet South African veteran Jordy Smith, who took over the rankings lead with his win over Hawaiian Imaikalani deVault. Older brother Griffin Colapinto posted a perfect 10 for a soaring, spinning aerial as he booked a semi-final berth against another Hawaiian Barron Mamiya, with the title to be decided Tuesday. Sally Fitzgibbons has suffered more heartbreak at Margaret River, with the veteran enduring a cruel loss to world No.1 Gabriela Bryan that has also wrecked her start to next season. With surfing resuming at the West Australian break on Monday after a three-day wait, Fitzgibbons was one of five Australian women in the round of 16. Molly Picklum, Isabella Nichols and local wildcard Bronte Macaulay all won their match-ups, while Tyler Wright went down. Fitzgibbons needed to beat Bryan, the defending Margaret Pro champion, to avoid the top-10 mid-season cut for the third successive year. A victory in the heat would also secure 14th-ranked Fitzgibbons a place on the 2026 Championship Tour after the WSL announced a larger women's field next year. If Wright had beaten Lakey Peterson, Fitzgibbons would have requalified, but instead the Californian veteran took the final spot, sending the Australian back to the Challenger Series. Fitzgibbons opened their heat by attacking a wave to earn a 6.83, and with Bryan uncharacteristically falling off a few waves, the 34-year-old NSW surfer looked in control. She bettered her back-up score with a nervous 4.33, leaving Bryan requiring a 7.33 score to reach the quarter-finals. But with 90 seconds remaining the Hawaiian launched on to a wave and showed off her power moves in a two-turn combination, wowing the judges to score a 9.00 to take out the heat. An emotional Fitzgibbons stayed out in the water, devastated to have let the win - and the opportunities it secured - slip away. "I think for the first, like, 98 per cent of that heat it was all going against me, I could not get it together," Bryan said. "I'm like, I just need to do two big turns, and I hit the first one as hard as I could and then I was like, OK, just finish this thing, and it all worked out. So I was so stoked that wave came." World No.3 Picklum and 31-year-old wildcard Macaulay met in the quarter-finals with the Margaret River surfer prevailing in an upset, 15.00 to 12.54. Chasing the title her dad Dave won in 1989, Macaulay, who announced her retirement late last year to pursue a teaching career, will next face American Caitlin Simmers. Former champions Nichols and Peterson then squared off, with the latter continuing her impressive form to advance 16.34 to 14.33. Peterson - who will take on Bryan in the semis - also cemented a spot above the mid-season cut line. In the men's quarter-finals local qualifier Jacob Willcox, who was the sole Australian remaining, was outclassed by a hungry Crosby Colapinto 15.66 to 11.10. He will next meet South African veteran Jordy Smith, who took over the rankings lead with his win over Hawaiian Imaikalani deVault. Older brother Griffin Colapinto posted a perfect 10 for a soaring, spinning aerial as he booked a semi-final berth against another Hawaiian Barron Mamiya, with the title to be decided Tuesday.
7NEWS
26-05-2025
- Sport
- 7NEWS
Aussie fan favourite Sally Fitzgibbons left devastated in shattering scenes at Margaret River
Sally Fitzgibbons has suffered more heartbreak at Margaret River, the veteran enduring a cruel loss to world No.1 Gabriela Bryan that also wrecked her 2026 season start. With surfing resuming at the West Australian break on Monday after a three-day break, Fitzgibbons was one of five Australian women in the round of 16. WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Fitzgibbons devastated after last-second loss. Molly Picklum, Isabella Nichols and local wildcard Bronte Macaulay all won their match-ups, while Tyler Wright went down. Fitzgibbons needed to beat Bryan, the defending Margaret Pro champion, to avoid the top-10 mid-season cut for the third successive year. A victory in the heat would also secure 14th-ranked Fitzgibbons a place on the 2026 Championship Tour after the WSL announced a larger women's field next year. If Wright had beaten Lakey Peterson, Fitzgibbons would have requalified, but instead the Californian veteran took the final spot, sending the Australian back to the Challenger Series. Fitzgibbons opened their heat by attacking a wave to earn a 6.83, and with Bryan uncharacteristically falling off a few waves the 34-year-old NSW surfer looked in control. She bettered her back-up score with a nervous 4.33, leaving Bryan requiring a 7.33 score to reach the quarter-finals. But with 90 seconds remaining the Hawaiian launched on to a wave and showed off her power moves in a two-turn combination, wowing the judges to score a 9.00 to take out the heat. An emotional Fitzgibbons stayed out in the water, devastated to have let the win — and the opportunities it secured — slip away. 'I think for the first, like, 98 per cent of that heat it was all going against me, I could not get it together,' Bryan said. 'I'm like, I just need to do two big turns, and I hit the first one as hard as I could and then I was like, OK, just finish this thing, and it all worked out, so I was so stoked that wave came.' Picklum, who would have taken over the yellow rankings leader jersey if Bryan had bowed out, downed American teen Bella Kenworthy, while Macaulay secured a late wave to eliminate 2023 world champion and Olympic gold medallist Caroline Marks. The pair will meet in the quarter-finals, while the in-form Nichols, who beat France's Vahine Fierro, faces Peterson. The men's quarter-finals are next into the water, with local qualifier Jacob Willcox the sole Australian.
West Australian
26-05-2025
- Sport
- West Australian
Sally Fitzgibbons missed the mid-season cut again, denied in cruel fashion by the world No.1 at Margaret River
Australian veteran Sally Fitzgibbons had her heart broken at Margaret River again this time in the final seconds of her clash with world No.1 Gabi Bryan who cruelled her dreams of making the mid-season cut and earning automatic qualification for 2026. Having made the final at the last World Surf League event on the Gold Coast and riding some real momentum, Fitzgibbons, 34, needed a deep run in WA to avoid missing the mid-season cut for the third successive year and make the top-14 to be back next year. When surfing resumed on Monday, Fitzgibbons charged out of the blocks against Bryan, the reigning champ at Margaret River, and was still leading as the pair latched on to waves in the final few minutes. But just as victory looked within Fitzgibbons grasp, Bryan delivered the most powerful combination of their round of 16 showdown and a nine-point ride on her final wave to storm into the quarterfinals. The abject despair was evident as Fitzgibbons lay on her board in the surf, her fate sealed, again, forcing the three-time world championship runner-up back to the qualification tour. Only the top 10 surfers after Margaret River will continue the rest of the season, and only the top 14 are readmitted for 2026 to what will be an expanded women's field for the main tour. Fitzgibbons dropped to 15th after and having been surfing in 'survivor mode' despite her good run on the Gold Coast, the exit of the 12-time tour winner, leaves only Molly Picklum, Isabella Nichols and two-time world champ Tyler Wright in the top 10 to chase a world title. Both Picklum and Nichols progressed to the quarter-finals at Margaret River, but Wright was bundled out by Lakey Peterson, whose victory sealed Fitzgibbons' fate. Wildcard Jacob Willcox is the only Aussie male still alive and will head to the quarter-finals.
West Australian
26-05-2025
- Sport
- West Australian
Fan favourite suffers double blow at Margaret River
Sally Fitzgibbons has suffered more heartbreak at Margaret River, the veteran enduring a cruel loss to world No.1 Gabriela Bryan that also wrecked her 2026 season start. With surfing resuming at the West Australian break on Monday after a three-day break, Fitzgibbons was one of five Australian women in the round of 16. Molly Picklum, Isabella Nichols and local wildcard Bronte Macaulay all won their match-ups, while Tyler Wright went down. Fitzgibbons needed to beat Bryan, the defending Margaret Pro champion, to avoid the top-10 mid-season cut for the third successive year. A victory in the heat would also secure 14th-ranked Fitzgibbons a place on the 2026 Championship Tour after the WSL announced a larger women's field next year. If Wright had beaten Lakey Peterson, Fitzgibbons would have requalified, but instead the Californian veteran took the final spot, sending the Australian back to the Challenger Series. Fitzgibbons opened their heat by attacking a wave to earn a 6.83, and with Bryan uncharacteristically falling off a few waves the 34-year-old NSW surfer looked in control. She bettered her back-up score with a nervous 4.33, leaving Bryan requiring a 7.33 score to reach the quarter-finals. But with 90 seconds remaining the Hawaiian launched on to a wave and showed off her power moves in a two-turn combination, wowing the judges to score a 9.00 to take out the heat. An emotional Fitzgibbons stayed out in the water, devastated to have let the win - and the opportunities it secured - slip away. "I think for the first, like, 98 per cent of that heat it was all going against me, I could not get it together," Bryan said. "I'm like, I just need to do two big turns, and I hit the first one as hard as I could and then I was like, OK, just finish this thing, and it all worked out, so I was so stoked that wave came." Picklum, who would have taken over the yellow rankings leader jersey if Bryan had bowed out, downed American teen Bella Kenworthy, while Macaulay secured a late wave to eliminate 2023 world champion and Olympic gold medallist Caroline Marks. The pair will meet in the quarter-finals, while the in-form Nichols, who beat France's Vahine Fierro, faces Peterson. The men's quarter-finals are next into the water, with local qualifier Jacob Willcox the sole Australian.
Perth Now
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Perth Now
Aussie heartache after cruellest blow
Australian veteran Sally Fitzgibbons had her heart broken at Margaret River again this time in the final seconds of her clash with world No.1 Gabi Bryan who cruelled her dreams of making the mid-season cut and earning automatic qualification for 2026. Having made the final at the last World Surf League event on the Gold Coast and riding some real momentum, Fitzgibbons, 34, needed a deep run in WA to avoid missing the mid-season cut for the third successive year and make the top-14 to be back next year. When surfing resumed on Monday, Fitzgibbons charged out of the blocks against Bryan, the reigning champ at Margaret River, and was still leading as the pair latched on to waves in the final few minutes. But just as victory looked within Fitzgibbons grasp, Bryan delivered the most powerful combination of their round of 16 showdown and a nine-point ride on her final wave to storm into the quarterfinals. Sally Fitzgibbons was denied in cruel fashion at Margaret River. (Photo by Cait Miers/World Surf League) Credit: Supplied The abject despair was evident as Fitzgibbons lay on her board in the surf, her fate sealed, again, forcing the three-time world championship runner-up back to the qualification tour. Only the top 10 surfers after Margaret River will continue the rest of the season, and only the top 14 are readmitted for 2026 to what will be an expanded women's field for the main tour. Fitzgibbons dropped to 15th after and having been surfing in 'survivor mode' despite her good run on the Gold Coast, the exit of the 12-time tour winner, leaves only Molly Picklum, Isabella Nichols and two-time world champ Tyler Wright in the top 10 to chase a world title. Both Picklum and Nichols progressed to the quarter-finals at Margaret River, but Wright was bundled out by Lakey Peterson, whose victory sealed Fitzgibbons' fate. Wildcard Jacob Willcox is the only Aussie male still alive and will head to the quarter-finals.
