Veteran’s season on the line when surfing resumes
Melissa Woods |
Sally Fitzgibbons faces an anxious wait in her quest to survive the World Surf League’s mid-season cut after the Margaret River Pro was placed on hold for two days.
While the waves at the famous Western Australia break were pumping on Saturday, particularly early in the day during the men’s opening heats, a drop in swell forced organisers to call competition off until Tuesday.
“After we had a good look at the conditions this morning, we decided to call the event off for the day,” WSL deputy commissioner Renato Hickel said in a statement on Sunday.
“There is not much energy on the swell, really weak waves, two-to-three-foot max.
“With the swell on offer for the remainder of the waiting period, we decided to wait for the next swell, which looks like it’s going to be this coming Tuesday.
Championship Tour veteran Fitzgibbons is in a must-win situation to make the top 10 and save herself from a third successive mid-season cut.
Fitzgibbons looked set to finish second in her opening heat but fellow Australian Isabella Nichols caught a wave with five seconds left in the heat to bump her to third.
She faces a tough battle in the elimination round, having drawn Bettylou Sakura Johnson, with the Hawaiian winning their final at the Gold Coast Pro last weekend.
Trials winner, local surfer Willow Hardy, is also in the heat.
Currently ranked 15, if Fitzgibbons can finish the season ranked in the top 14 she can at least avoid being relegated to the Challenger Series after the WSL announced a larger women’s field in 2026.
In the men’s draw, Australians who will surf in the elimination round when competition resumes includes Ryan Callinan, Mikey McDonagh, Winter Vincent and Jacob Willcox.
AAP
