Latest news with #JulianWilson
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Fitzgibbons, Wilson fall short in Gold Coast Pro final
Julian Wilson's incredible run from the trial to the title has fallen just short with the Australian surfing veteran beaten in an epic final at the Gold Coast Pro. The 36-year-old squared off against Felipe Toledo in the title decider which was a repeat of their 2015 final, also won by the Brazilian, and was edged in a thriller 17.60 to 17.20. Fellow Australian Sally Fitzgibbons also went down swinging in the women's final at Burleigh Heads with Hawaii's Bettylou Sakura Johnson claiming her first World Surf League trophy. After almost four years away from the tour, Wilson claimed the sole wildcard for the main event by winning the pre-competition trial and then surfed his way all the way through to Saturday's final. He and two-time world champion Toledo went blow for blow, with the crowd packed on the headland roaring their approval for both veterans for their lofty airs and searing turns. In his first final for 2025 after taking last season off, Toledo, who scored a perfect 10 ride in his semi-final, set the benchmark early with an 8.53 which he backed up with a 9.07. Former world No.2 Wilson kept hammering, with his top scoring waves of 8.80 and 8.40 coming in the back-end of the final in a heated finish between the rivals. 10 years later and @filipetoledo wins another @originalbonsoy #GoldCoastPro!! 🏆Huge congrats to Filipe.@gwmaustralia @experiencegoldcoast @queensland — World Surf League (@wsl) May 10, 2025 But in the end there was no fairytale finish and fifth title for the Sunshine Coast product, who will compete in the Challenger Series next year. "It's not easy to step away from the thing you love to prioritise your family and watch from the sidelines and I guess these surfers inspire me so much," said an emotional Wilson. "This is what I was born to do. My kids got to share it this week and it's been super, super special." Seeking her first CT title since a win at Rottnest Island in 2021, Fitzgibbons was also denied by the Hawaiian young gun. The 34-year-old threw everything at her young rival, surfing a mammoth 13 waves, but fell short with a two-wave score of 7.83 to Sakura Johnson's impressive tally of 15.33. FIRST CT WIN FOR BETTYLOU 🏆A huge congrats to Bettylou, winner of the 2025 @originalbonsoy #GoldCoastPro!@Queensland — World Surf League (@wsl) May 10, 2025 The Gerroa surfer went to the air four times, trying to stick a landing that would give her a score to put her back in contention, but she was unable to seal the deal. "I wanted to get it together so bad in that final but it was Betty's day," Fitzgibbons said. "It's been a fight and a grind in the last few years, but I want to be here and my deep desire is to keep surfing." It was Sakura Johnson's second win of the day over a local hope after earlier eliminating top-ranked Australian Molly Picklum in the quarter-finals. "This is the best feeling in the world, and I'm over the moon to have my first win here on the Gold Coast," said Sakura Johnson, competing in her second final after bursting on to the scene as a 16-year-old. "This is what winning feels like, and I want to keep winning." Fitzgibbons outscored Erin Brooks in the semi-finals earlier in the day, with the Canadian wunderkind eliminating six-time Gold Coast champion and eight-time world title holder Stephanie Gilmore in the quarters. With Gilmore's former coach Jake Patterson in her corner, Brooks used superior wave selection to get the better of the Australian legend, who is due to return to the tour full-time next year.
ABC News
10-05-2025
- Sport
- ABC News
Sally Fitzgibbons and Julian Wilson fall short in Gold Coast Pro final
Australia's Sally Fitzgibbons has gone down swinging in the Gold Coast Pro final, with Hawaiian Bettylou Sakura Johnson claiming victory. In the men's final, Fitzgibbons's compatriot Julian Wilson lost to Brazilian Filipe Toledo. Fitzgibbons was hunting her first Championship Tour (CT) title in four years. The 34-year-old threw everything at Sakura Johnson, surfing a mammoth 13 waves, but fell short with a two-wave score of 7.83 to her opponent's impressive tally of 15.33. Fitzgibbons was on the back foot from the start of the final, with 20-year-old Sakura Johnson posting a score of 8.50 on her first wave in front of a huge crowd at Burleigh Heads. The Australian went to the air four times, trying to stick a landing that would give her a score to put her back in contention, but she was unable to seal the deal. It was Sakura Johnson's second win of the day over an Australian, having earlier eliminated Molly Picklum in the quarterfinals. "It's so special and I feel amazing," Sakura Johnson said. "I'm so over the moon." Wilson, 36, squared off against Toledo in a repeat of their 2015 Gold Coast Pro final. They went blow for blow, with the crowd packed on the headland roaring its approval for both veterans as they repeatedly took to the air. Toledo won a thrilling contest, 17.60 to 17.20. "It was crazy with the rematch with Jules," Toledo said. "With Jules coming back to the tour, winning the trial and going all the way, it was such a special moment for him." AAP
Reuters
10-05-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Toledo wins instant classic over wildcard Wilson at Gold Coast Pro
May 10 (Reuters) - Brazil's two-time world champion Felipe Toledo beat Australian wildcard Julian Wilson to win the Gold Coast Pro in an instant pro surfing classic on Saturday, a decade after the two met at the finals of the same event. The 36-year-old Wilson stepped away from the tour in 2021 as COVID travel restrictions and the demands of a young family took a toll, but has targeted 2025 as his comeback year and won the trials to get a spot in the main event. Wilson took down a number of top surfers, including 2019 world champion Italo Ferreira and Japan's 2020 Tokyo Olympic silver medallist Kanoa Igarashi on his run to the final with some of the biggest and most technical aerials seen all season. But Toledo, who rejoined the tour this year after taking a mental health break in 2024, was also in rare form in high quality, head-high waves at the right-hand point break of Burleigh Heads. Toledo scored the event's only perfect 10 for a deep, long tube and alley-oop aerial in his semifinal against compatriot Alejo Muniz and started the final with an excellent score for a full rotation air. Wilson quickly responded with two high-risk spins of his own but his lead was short-lived as Toledo racked up two even better scores, combining searing turns, deep tubes and lofty airs. Toledo's hefty two wave total of 17.60 out of 20 looked to be enough but Wilson refused to give up. He scored an 8.8 late in the final before somewhat controversially winning priority, exchanging some angry words with his rival and catching one last wave as the clock ticked down. Needing another 8.8, his final score was 8.4, leaving him 0.4 points short at 17.20 out of 20 to give Toledo the win - the same result as when they met in the 2015 final. "It's not easy to step away from the thing you love, to prioritise your family and watch from the sidelines, and these surfers inspire me so much. This is what I was born to do," Wilson said, paying credit to Toledo and his chanting Brazilian fans. Hawaii's Bettylou Sakura Johnson broke through to win her first world championship tour event with a dominant performance over Australian veteran Sally Fitzgibbons in the women's finals. Both Fitzgibbons, 34, and Johnson, 20, struggled in the early part of the season, with neither progressing past the quarterfinals in the first five events of the tour. Johnson got off to an ideal start in their final, scoring an 8.5 out of 10 for a series of powerful turns on a fast-grinding wave. Before her rival could get a decent score, Johnson backed it up for a 6.5 and a 15-point heat total. "This is the best feeling in the world and I'm over the moon to have my first win here on the Gold Coast," said Johnson. "Yeah, this is what winning feels like and I want to keep winning." The wins boost both Johnson and Toledo to sixth in the world. The tour next heads to the Margaret River Pro in Western Australia for stop number seven, after which the men's and women's fields will be cut by a third for the remaining four events. The top five surfers will then face off in a one-day, winner-takes-all finale in Fiji in August.
News.com.au
09-05-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Wildcard Aussie surfer Julian Wilson topples rankings leader Italo Ferreira
Another Australian comeback star has turned giant-killer on the Gold Coast, with veteran surfer Julian Wilson taking down rankings leader Italo Ferreira despite nearly missing his start time. A day after eight-time world champ Steph Gilmore eliminated reigning world champ Caity Simmers in her first event in 18 months, Wilson, 37, who had to earn his wildcard into the event at Burleigh Heads by winning the qualifying event, stunned his Brazilian opponent in the round of 32. Wilson, 36, and a former world No.2, stepped away from the tour in 2021 for mental health reasons, but his climb back to the tour now includes another win over Ferreira. The Queenslander has now won all five clashes with the Brazilian and won despite thinking his heat was due for a start half an hour later than it did. 'It got the heart-rate going very quickly but it kind of worked in my favour,' he told the WSL. 'I didn't really get to watch the conditions, I planned to have another 30 minutes to get in the water and ride some waves. 'It kind of worked in my favour cause the line-up's super tricky this morning and I felt like I adapted pretty well as I think if I had expectations of better waves it would have been harder to tune into what was actually going on.' Wilson's cause was helped when Ferreira buckled his board trying an aerial manoeuvre early in the heat and had to paddle to shore for a replacement before trying to re-enter the water over rocks rather than use a jetski as time ticked away. While the win was monumental, Wilson will now have to take down Frenchman Marco Mignot in the round of 16 to keep his title hopes alive. The women's quarter-finals, with Gilmore among five Australians still alive, will have to wait.
Perth Now
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Perth Now
Comeback star turns giant-killer
Another Australian comeback star has turned giant-killer on the Gold Coast, with veteran surfer Julian Wilson taking down rankings leader Italo Ferreira despite nearly missing his start time. A day after eight-time world champ Steph Gilmore eliminated reigning world champ Caity Simmers in her first event in 18 months, Wilson, 37, who had to earn his wildcard into the event at Burleigh Heads by winning the qualifying event, stunned his Brazilian opponent in the round of 32. Wilson, 36, and a former world No.2, stepped away from the tour in 2021 for mental health reasons, but his climb back to the tour now includes another win over Ferreira. The Queenslander has now won all five clashes with the Brazilian and won despite thinking his heat was due for a start half an hour later than it did. 'It got the heart-rate going very quickly but it kind of worked in my favour,' he told the WSL. Julian Wilson is turning back the clock on the Gold Coast. Beatriz Ryder/World Surf League Credit: News Corp Australia 'I didn't really get to watch the conditions, I planned to have another 30 minutes to get in the water and ride some waves. 'It kind of worked in my favour cause the line-up's super tricky this morning and I felt like I adapted pretty well as I think if I had expectations of better waves it would have been harder to tune into what was actually going on.' Wilson's cause was helped when Ferreira buckled his board trying an aerial manoeuvre early in the heat and had to paddle to shore for a replacement before trying to re-enter the water over rocks rather than use a jetski as time ticked away. While the win was monumental, Wilson will now have to take down Frenchman Marco Mignot in the round of 16 to keep his title hopes alive. The women's quarter-finals, with Gilmore among five Australians still alive, will have to wait.
