Gilmore out but Aussies into Gold Coast final four
Melissa Woods |
Stephanie Gilmore has been out-surfed by a rival less than half her age but Sally Fitzgibbons is celebrating reaching her first World Surf League semi-final in more than four years at the Gold Coast Pro.
Fitzgibbons was later joined in the semis by another Australian veteran Julian Wilson, who hasn’t competed on the Championship Tour for almost four years.
Winning qualifying to get a wildcard start, Wilson, 36, continued to wind back the clock with victory over Brazilian Miguel Pupo.
Eight-time world champion Gilmore was eliminated by 17-year-old Erin Brooks on Saturday morning in the quarter-finals of the event – which the 36-year-old first won before the Canadian was even born.
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.
While Gilmore chased barrels, the young goofy-footer positioned herself away from the Aussie and instead showcased off her tight, pivoting attack.
She scored a 9.43 ride among her two-wave total of 17.76 to outpoint Gilmore’s tally of 14.27.
Facing the possibility of a third-straight mid-season cut Fitzgibbons took on Isabella Nichols in an all-Australian quarter-final at Burleigh Heads.
Bells Beach winner Nichols got the early running but 34-year-old Fitzgibbons showed off her fighting spirit to claw her way to a win 14.47 to 12.60.
“It’s so cool,” a beaming Fitzgibbons said.
“Through it all I keep working on my surfing and the results keep bobbling around but I feel like my surfing’s heading in the right direction and that gives me a lot of trust and belief.”
Earlier, Australia’s top-ranked female Molly Picklum suffered her first defeat in six meetings against Bettylou Sakura Johnson.
With four seconds remaining Picklum put it all on the line, going for a straight air, but landed on the back of the wave to go down 15.33 to 13.37.
Hawaiian Sakura Johnson will face Vahine Fierro in the other semi-final after the French surfer’s last-eight win over Luana Silva.
Wilson was relentless against Pupo, posting his best score of 7.27 with his 13th wave for a 14.10 to 9.40 victory to make his first semi since Margaret River in 2019.
He will face either Japan’s Kanoa Igarashi or South African Jordy Smith.
Fellow wildcard Morgan Cibilic (8.97) was edged out by another Brazilian Alejo Muniz (13.43) in his quarter-final.
AAP
