Latest news with #SallyFitzgibbons
ABC News
26-05-2025
- Sport
- ABC News
Sally Fitzgibbons defeated at Margaret River Pro by Gabriela Bryan
Sally Fitzgibbons has suffered heartbreak at the Margaret River Pro, losing her round-of-16 match-up in the final seconds, a result which has massive ramifications for the 34-year-old. Fitzgibbons needed to defeat world number one Gabriela Bryan to not only advance to the quarterfinals in WA, but also to avoid the top-10 mid-season cut for the third successive year. 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 quarterfinals. But with 90 seconds remaining, the Hawaiian launched onto 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. Victory would also secure 14th-ranked Fitzgibbons a place on the 2026 Championship Tour after the WSL announced a larger women's field next year. Fitzgibbons could have qualified for next year's Championship Tour if fellow Aussie Tyler Wright could defeat Californian Lakey Peterson. But Wright also fell short in her round-of-16 battle, meaning Peterson qualified for the Champions Tour and sending Fitzgibbons back to the Challenger Series. 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." Molly Picklum, Isabella Nichols and local wildcard Bronte Macaulay all won their match-ups on Monday. 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. AAP/ABC
News.com.au
26-05-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
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. Massive two piece combo earns a 9.00 âœ�ï¸� and the crew goes wild. Gabby's got a spot on Finals Day â˜'ï¸� The Western Australia #MargaretRiverPro is LIVE. Watch on — World Surf League (@wsl) May 26, 2025 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.
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.
ABC News
20-05-2025
- Sport
- ABC News
WA surfer Willow Hardy has no regrets despite Margaret River Pro elimination
Day two of the Margaret River Pro is underway in Western Australia's south-west and competitors are wrestling some of the biggest waves in the event's history. After the event was placed on hold for two days due to a lack of swell, surging waves over 3 metres have challenged world champions and broken boards. Undaunted, Margaret River teenager Willow Hardy claimed one of the biggest waves of the day, jumping on it less than one minute into her elimination heat. An untimely wipeout, followed by a tight heat, resulted in the 18-year-old just missing out with a total score of 7.97, but she lost no respect as the global surfing community watched on in awe. "I made the drop so I was starting to think about doing a turn and then I just went headfirst, crayfish diving," she said. "I don't really know what happened, I want to see it back. It didn't feel that big, but everyone said it was solid." Also making Margaret River proud was Jacob Willcox, coming out on top in a head-to-head heat against world number one Italo Ferreira just hours after surviving the elimination round. "It's almost anyone's game out there you just need to be able to pick the good waves," he said. Australian surfing icon Sally Fitzgibbons posted 8.33, nabbing a crucial second place in the heat to avoid dropping out of the tour altogether. She said it was an emotional day in the water. "I don't really mind it being big and chunky, it's just the whole scenario and riding the highs and lows of it," she said. "Your board snaps and there's like three minutes to go and you hear other people getting waves and you're like, 'I think that's it for me'. "So it's a bit of an emotional rollercoaster and then you come in and then they say you made it and you live to see another day." While the swell put world champions to the test and broke boards, it was business as usual for Margaret River's locals. Brody Mulik, 14, has already mastered the break. "I definitely was a little bit nervous when I was first paddling out but I kind of got used to it," he said. "You can just like feel your heart pounding when you come off the wave. It's really short but really intense." Mulik said the main challenge was the take-off point which was "really tight", meaning making the most of priority position would be key for competitors. "You can't be a little bit wide, you cant be a little bit deep. You have to be in the right spot," he said.
Perth Now
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Perth Now
Fitzgibbons survives first hurdle in bid to avoid WSL cut
An emotional Sally Fitzgibbons has broken down in tears after narrowly scraping through her elimination round heat at the Margaret River Pro, keeping her hopes of avoiding the mid-season cut alive. The Australian surfing icon survived a broken board and pumping 8-10ft conditions at Main Break on Tuesday to advance to a round-of-16 match-up against world No.1 Gabriela Bryan. Fitzgibbons needs a deep run into finals day, and other results to fall her way, just to edge into the top 10 and avoid falling off the World Surf League championship tour for a third successive year. And the toll of the make-or-break situation hit the veteran hard after she made it through her heat, posting a two-wave total of 8.33 to finish behind Bettylou Sakura Johnson of Hawaii (8.84) but crucially ahead of local trails winner Willow Hardy (7.97). 'It's just a lot,' a teary Fitzgibbons said post-heat. 'I just want to keep fighting and trying my best. It's the whole scenario of riding the highs and lows of it.' 'You are sitting on the jet-ski with your board snapped, and there's three minutes to g,o and you are hearing other people getting waves and you think that's it for me. 'It's a bit of an emotional roller-coaster and then you come in and they say you made it and you live to see another day so that's pretty cool. I think that's what we love about surfing.' Sally Fitzgibbons after surfing in Heat 1 of the Elimination Round. Credit: Cait Miers / World Surf League Even if cut, Fitzgibbons could automatically re-qualify for next year's CT by moving up just one place in the rankings. The 34-year-old is ranked 15th, with the top 14 re-admitted for 2026 without having to fight through the challenger series due to the recently announced expanded women's field. Fellow veteran American Lakey Peterson, 30, is just one place ahead of Fitzgibbons in the rankings and also survived the elimination round on Tuesday, meaning their fight for rankings positioning will continue through the round-of-16. Fitzgibbons, a 12-time CT winner and three-time world title runner-up (2010, 2011, 2012), said the bomb sets had been tricky to navigate with so much on the line. 'I was a bit in survival mode, I had a few little encounters with the ledge and just getting pile-driven into that ledge and I got everything together and then snapped the board, so there was just a lot going on,' she said. 'You can't really do anything at that stage but swim for your life. I tried to do everything I could and get back out, but there was no time left.' Erin Brooks of Canada joined Sakua Johnson, Fitzgibbons and Peterson in the next round while Nadia Erostarbe, of Spain's Basque Country, joined Hardy in elimination. Willow Hardy of Australia after surfing in Heat 1 of the Elimination Round. Credit: Cait Miers / World Surf League Margaret River teenager Hardy said the experience of matching it with some of the world's best had been exciting, despite her not making it through. 'I learned so much and the experience was just amazing,' she said. 'I didn't really feel that nervous, I was just excited for the opportunity, especially to surf my home break when it's big, which is my favourite.' Watch the WSL Margaret River Pro live and free on 7PLUS WOMEN'S ELIMINATION ROUND RESULTSHEAT 1: Bettylou Sakura Johnson HAW 8.84 (5.17, 3.67), Sally Fitzgibbons AUS 8.33 (4.33, 4.00), Willow Hardy AUS 7.97 (4.37, 3.60)HEAT 2: Erin Brooks CAN 11.50 (6.00, 5.50), Lakey Peterson USA 10.27 (6.10, 4.17), Nadia Erostarbe ESP 4.47 (2.30, 2.17)
