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West Australian
21-05-2025
- Sport
- West Australian
Sally Fitzgibbons forced to wait in bid to avoid cut after conditions deteriorate at the Margaret River Pro
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. 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. 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.
West Australian
20-05-2025
- Sport
- West Australian
An emotional Sally Fitzgibbons survives first hurdle in bid to avoid World Surf League cut at Margaret River
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.' 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. 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)
ABC News
02-05-2025
- Sport
- ABC News
Stephanie Gilmore still driven to succeed as she returns to Gold Coast Pro
Surfing legend Stephanie Gilmore has said the competitive fires are still burning as she prepares to return to the World Surf League this weekend on the Gold Coast. Gilmore, a six-time winner of the Gold Coast Pro, returns to competitive surfing after nearly two years off. Despite having nothing left to prove, the 36-year-old told AAP the drive to compete had never gone away. Photo shows Stephanie Gilmore paddling into the surf at the Gold Coast, on her surf board Eight-time world champion Stephanie Gilmore will return to the World Surf League for a cameo at the Gold Coast Pro after almost two years away from competition. That is why she is making a one-off appearance in the World Surf League event at Burleigh Heads before returning full-time to the tour next year. "Yes, it's still in there — if you think about it, it's one of things you actually love to do and then someone asks you 'why are you still doing it?' Like that's a ridiculous question," Gilmore said. "When I'm watching from afar, deep down there's still that burning desire like 'Oh wow, I wish I was in it'. "I just love competing, I love performing … to come back and feel those emotions again, the nerves and excitement is really cool. "I have achieved a lot of what I wanted to achieve in my career, but the cool thing about surfing is that the ocean always changes, and there's a lot of conditions that I know I have a lot of work to do to get better at. "It's just about being able to improve all the time, it's an endless evolution of myself and my surfing and to be able to challenge yourself in a world stage." ABC Sport Daily is your daily sports conversation. We dive into the biggest story of the day and get you up to speed with everything else that's making headlines. Gilmore has been drawn in a tough opening heat against reigning world champion Caitlin Simmers, aged 19, and Brazilian 20-year-old Luana Silva, who reached the final at last week's competition at Bells Beach. That event was won by Isabella Nicols, who is one of six Australian women in the Gold Coast Pro field. "It's a very tough heat to begin with but I'll do my best," Gilmore said. "Hopefully, we can have a good battle and put on a show. "I'm excited to see if I can still keep up with the young women on tour who are doing such an amazing job at the moment of just rising the level of women surfing." Jack Robinson will look for successive titles in the men's competition following his Bells Beach triumph, one of nine Australian men in the line-up. Round one is scheduled to begin on Saturday. AAP The ABC of SPORT Sports content to make you think... or allow you not to. A newsletter delivered each Saturday. Your information is being handled in accordance with the Email address Subscribe
Reuters
27-04-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Australians Robinson, Nichols win at Bells Beach
April 27 (Reuters) - Australia's Jack Robinson earned his first victory of the season on the world championship tour while compatriot Isabella Nichols won the women's title at the prestigious Rip Curl Pro at Bells Beach, south of Melbourne, on Sunday. Paris Olympics silver medallist Robinson scored 7.77 on his third wave after a 6.37 earlier to finish with a two-wave total of 14.14, edging out Japan's Kanoa Igarashi, who managed 13.87 and missed out on a second tour victory of his career. "It's just a surreal feeling. I'm just in the moment, just soaking it all in," said Robinson, an eight-times tour winner. "It's been a special week ... there's so much history here." U.S-born Igarashi, who became the first man from Japan to earn a World Surf League elite tour victory when he triumphed in Bali in 2019, needed a 6.98 to regain the lead in a tight final but failed to catch a favourable wave as time ran out. Nichols earlier outclassed Brazilian Luana Silva to prevail in surfing's longest-running professional contest, now in its 62nd year, with best scores of 8.33 and 7.93 for a total of 16.26 to her opponent's 12.67. A first Bells victory was especially sweet for 27-year-old Queenslander Nichols, who had endured title showdown heartbreak against Hawaiian Gabriela Bryan in the last stop at El Salvador, after skipping her twin sister's wedding to compete there. "I'm lost for words. I know it's a cliche, but so much has gone into the last two weeks," said Nichols, whose only previous tour title win came at the Margaret River Pro three years ago. "So many emotions, so many challenges and so many really tough opponents. Props to Lulu (Silva), she's been surfing so good all event to be in her first final. "My friends and family are here. Honestly nothing beats this ... it's the one event I've always wanted to win and I can't believe it. I'm bloody stoked." The action next shifts to the Gold Coast in Queensland for the sixth event on the 11-stop tour, before the one-day finals for the top five surfers are held in Fiji in late August.
Los Angeles Times
06-02-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Los Alamitos girls' soccer tops Newport Harbor for Sunset League title
LOS ALAMITOS — Los Alamitos High girls' soccer senior Vivi Zacarias showed her soccer IQ twice in a crucial moment of Wednesday night's inaugural Sunset League tournament championship match. Zacarias stole the pass back to Newport Harbor goalkeeper Cooper Dick in the right side of the box. Then, rather than rushing things, she waited for a second wave of players to arrive, passing the ball to junior teammate Baylee Fernley up top. 'She rolled the dice,' Sailors coach Justin Schroeder said of the theft in the 17th minute. 'It was a really smart play.' Dick got back in goal in time to deflect the shot, but Fernley still scored it into the left corner. Zacarias added a header goal off a free kick in the second half, as the Griffins earned a 2-0 win at their home field to clinch their eighth straight league title. Los Alamitos (13-5-4) finished as both the dual match champion and tournament champion in the league. Newport Harbor (15-4-3) would have won the league title by a single point, based on combined points, if it had earned the win Wednesday. Instead, the Sailors had their second 2-0 loss to Los Alamitos in a week in the battle of two teams ranked in the top five in Orange County. And the Griffins' league dominance continues, winning every Sunset or Surf League crown since Edison finished on top in 2016-17. 'Every year keeps getting harder and harder,' said Zacarias, bound for the University of Colorado. 'Congrats and kudos to Newport and every other team in this league, because they make it so challenging. They make us have to work every single day for this. It's not easy. Anyone can really win, but thankfully, we just put the work in at practice, film sessions and we got the league title.' Zacarias, who scored both goals in the teams' meeting last week, flicked a header on target in the 31st minute off a free kick from Camryn Flores to account for the second score. The Sailors worked valiantly early in the second half to cut their deficit in half, with senior Lily Achak booming in some dangerous crosses from the left and senior Abbi Clapp doing the same from the right. Every time, Los Alamitos junior goalkeeper Avarie Gonzalez was there. Schroeder called Gonzalez, a University of Miami commit, the MVP of the teams' two meetings. 'Avarie, you're on fire, keep it up,' a fan in the stands yelled in the closing minutes after Gonzalez challenged the Sailors' Natalie McCarty to deflect the ball past the end line, then subsequently grabbed a well-placed corner kick. Schroeder shouted out his back line of Audrey Herron, Caroline Harner and Leah Showalter, which played well against the Griffins' speed and constant pressure despite the loss. 'I thought our back line was tremendous today, truthfully,' he said. 'I don't think any of the goals that they got were anything that our back line couldn't handle. They were just goals, goals that we can maybe look back on and figure out what we did wrong.' Both teams now prepare for the CIF Southern Section playoffs; brackets will be released Saturday at 10 a.m. Los Alamitos expects to make the Open Division, while Schroeder said the Sailors would likely either also make the Open Division or be one of the top seeds in Division 1. If the teams meet for a third time in the playoffs, he knows what needs to change for his side. 'Los Al is clearly a team you can't go down against, right?' he said. 'Definitely not down two goals. For us, if we see them again in the playoffs, the goal is either to score first or it needs to be 0-0 at halftime. Once they're feeling good, things are happening for them and they're buzzing around, they're hard to stop and they don't concede.' Edison 1, Huntington Beach 0: Freshman Jaylen Maroney's 28th-minute free kick held up as the game's only goal in the third-place match of the Sunset League tournament Tuesday night at Huntington Beach High. Both Edison (12-7-3) and Huntington Beach (13-5-4) are headed to the CIF playoffs beginning next week.
