Picklum joins Australian greats as world surf champion
Melissa Woods |
Molly Picklum has hailed the legends that came before her after joining the long list of Australian women’s world champions with her victory in the World Surf League Finals in Fiji.
The NSW Central Coast surfer had to do it the hard way, winning a best-of-three showdown with American 2023 world champion Caroline Marks.
While she struggled to find her rhythm in the opening heat at Cloudbreak, Picklum crushed her opponent with her incredible barrel-riding earning scores of 32.47 to 14.27 across the remaining two heats.
It was a deserved victory for an ultra-consistent year from Picklum, who won two tour events and only finished lower than fifth once.
“I just locked in and did what I’ve done all year and I cannot believe I’m the world champion,” Picklum, draped in an Australian flag while still out in the water, said.
“It just like really solidifies it for me – there was no ifs or buts about my year, I’m so, so grateful to be taking the trophy home.”
The 22-year-old follows eight-time world champion Stephanie Gilmore, who last won in 2022, Tyler Wright and seven-time title holder Layne Beachley among seven previous Australian women’s world champions dating back to 1989.
“Pickles” said she was grateful to have such role models in the sport.
“It’s such a trip from a central coast kid, little grom, looking up to Steph and Layne and Sally (Fitzgibbons) and Tyler and all those girls,” she said after hoisting her trophy aloft.
“It’s such a trip that I’m on a list with those females, and I just feel so honoured and grateful that I’ve had such role models to look up to … there’s so many females that have been before me and paved the way for me to get out there and really do what we love.”
Picklum celebrated alongside top-seeded Yago Dora, who in an adjusted format this year was able to wrap up the men’s title by winning the first heat of the decider against American Griffin Colapinto.
If he had lost it would have gone to best of three like the women’s but Dora, in his first Finals campaign, outscored third-ranked Colapinto 15.66 to 12.33.
Apart from Hawaiian John John Florence’s 2024 victory, Brazilian men have now won six of the last seven world titles.
As the swell picked up at the infamous reef break, Pickles turned the final her way with a statement ride midway through the second heat.
She charged into a long barrel that earned her a top score of 8.83.
With Marks tiring in her sixth heat of the day, Picklum got off to a strong start in the deciding heat and never looked like losing, laying down an opening score of 7.00.
She backed that up with an even better ride, threading another barrel to again score 8.83 to set her rival a massive challenge which Marks was unable to rise to.
In the men’s event Jack Robinson made a disappointing early exit, out-gunned by busy Brazilian Ferreira.
The West Australian entered the first match of the top-five showdown as the fourth-ranked surfer and favoured to overcome the 2019 world champion.
But the lack of early swell at Cloudbreak counted against the Olympic silver medallist, who never really found his groove.
Ferreira landed some big airs to finish with a heat score of 14.33 while Robinson had some uncharacteristic falls as he battled his way to a two-wave tally of only 5.83.
AAP
