Filipe Toledo Returns to Form, Bettylou Sakura Johnson Breaks Through at Gold Coast Pro

A decade ago, a 20-year-old Filipe Toledo got his first Championship Tour win over Julian Wilson at Snapper Rocks. Yesterday, history repeated itself as Filipe, coming off a yearlong sabbatical, snatched his 16th career win, again over Julian, up the road at Burleigh Heads. 

“First of all, I just want to thank God to bring me back here,” Toledo said. “I took the year off to take care of myself, to take care of my family, just like [Julian Wilson] did, you know, but I came back a little earlier than him. It was definitely hard to get back and get going with all the surfers, everyone so in tune, so ready for anything. I was like man, I’ve got to get back again, you know, and it feels damn good to be back.”

There was a lot to unpack from Finals day. The crowd buzzed around Burleigh from start to finish. Bettylou Sakura Johnson, the 20-year-old from Haleiwa, got her first CT win since joining the tour in 2022. Joel Parkinson bested his best mate Mick Fanning in their heritage heat. In the semis against Alejo Muniz, Filipe went ballistic, going from a subterranean tunnel to an off-axis alley oop before you can say Bonsoy. Consider that 10-pointer the gauntlet thrown. 

But Filipe’s return was just half of the storyline today. Even through the TV screen, you could feel the crowd’s support for Julian, who was going for a storybook ending to his wildcard performance. Trials winner to event champ. Could it be done? 

The final played out like a Shakespearean drama. Tension. Action. Love and loss. To start, Julian fell on an air attempt on his first ride and, like a hyperactive cat, Filipe pounced on the next one with a massive no-hands reverse into the flats—one maneuver for an 8.33. 

Julian responded with a crisp top turn to slob air reverse, a maneuver that served him well all event (For reference, a slob is the leading arm grabbing the nose on the toe-side rail). An 8.1 for the combo platter. He then pumped across another wave, s-turning and zig-zagging until he launched yet another slob air. Not as clean as before, and the 7.73 reflected it.

Now with the pressure on him, Filipe found a long-running barrel before cleaving the lip apart. He hit it so hard that his board almost detached from the right. Another snap on the end for good measure gave him an 8.53 and the lead, 16.86, 15.83 with under a half hour left. 

Things got pretty sleepy for a while before Filipe got a mid-sized wave and tagged it twice. The turns were good, solid strikes, but the score was confounding — a 9.07 for two turns that were impressive but shouldn’t have changed the tone of the heat. But judges felt differently, and that raised the pressure on Julian, who then needed 9.5 to take the lead. 

And he got damned close to it. With less than 10 minutes left, Julian unleashed three hammers with a snap, carve and air rev for 8.80. Bedlam on shore. Then things got hotter than the Burleigh Rocks on a summer’s day. Julian, under priority, took off outside on a runner that was going about to barrel on the inside. Then Filipe paddled over and Julian, believing Fil would use priority and block him, kicked out right as the Brazilian sniffed the section, but backed out at the last second. The judges said that Filipe had not given that wave an honest crack and he retained priority. 

That lit the fuse for Julian, who was pissed and made it known to Filipe, who chirped right back. Filipe then caught an inconsequential burger, granting priority back to Julian. Needing an 8.81, the Australian took off on a silky smooth wall, unleashing five snaps, carves, finners and a double fist pump for good measure. The judges took their time on this one, deliberating until the heat was over. In the end, it was an 8.4 for Julian, a mere four-tenths from his storybook ending. Filipe has now won the last five straight heats against Julian, and it’s a 5-1 track record in the Brazilian’s favor. 

“First and foremost, thank you the WSL for giving me just a chance,” said Julian. “To convert it into what it’s turned into has been a very memorable experience for me. The fans, the support that I’ve received coming back has been quite emotional, so thank you everyone for the support. It’s not easy to step away from the thing you love to prioritise your family and watch from the sidelines. These surfers inspire me so much. This is what I was born to do. My kids got to share it this week, it’s been super super special. So yeah, just super gracious for this opportunity and thanks to my sponsors. Thanks to my wife for getting me back here and dragging the kids down with me every day, rain, hail, or shine. But yeah, enough about me, congratulations to Filipe. The Brazilian crowd got me so fired up out there today, and from the bottom of my heart, I love you guys.”

In the women’s final, it was the Hawaiian, not the Australian, who found the best waves in the heat. Despite the home crowd cheering for Sally Fitzgibbons, who desperately needed a big result, Bettylou took command from the start. She delivered strong, committed slices anyway you’d like them. Her vertical whips, drawn-out cutbacks comboed Sally to 15.33 to 7.83.

“This is the best feeling in the world,” Bettylou said. “I’m over the moon to have my first win here on the Gold Coast. This is what winning feels like, and I want to keep winning. I’m super stoked to get this feeling, and I’m so grateful for everything. It’s taken a lot, so much hard work and a lot of patience and perseverance to put everything together. This year was a really hard year for me, dealing with injuries and a whole bunch of other things, but super happy to just pull it together.”

What does it all mean? Filipe and Bettylou rocket to No. 6 in the world. Now, the last mid-year cut looms at Margaret River.

Bonsoy Gold Coast Pro Presented by GWM Men’s Final Results:

1 – Filipe Toledo (BRA) 17.60 

2 – Julian Wilson (AUS) 17.20

Bonsoy Gold Coast Pro Presented by GWM Women’s Final Results:

1 – Bettylou Sakura Johnson (HAW) 15.33

2 – Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 7.83

Bonsoy Gold Coast Pro Presented by GWM Men’s Semifinal Results:

HEAT 1: Filipe Toledo (BRA) 17.67 DEF. Alejo Muniz (BRA) 14.07

HEAT 2: Julian Wilson (AUS) 15.60 DEF. Kanoa Igarashi (JPN) 14.90

Bonsoy Gold Coast Pro Presented by GWM Women’s Semifinal Results:

HEAT 1: Bettylou Sakura Johnson (HAW) 12.33 DEF. Vahine Fierro (FRA) 7.00

HEAT 2: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 11.17 DEF. Erin Brooks (CAN) 9.40

Bonsoy Gold Coast Pro Presented by GWM Men’s Quarterfinal Results:

HEAT 1: Filipe Toledo (BRA) 15.83 DEF. Yago Dora (BRA) 11.90

HEAT 2: Alejo Muniz (BRA) 13.43 DEF. Morgan Cibilic (AUS) 8.97

HEAT 3: Julian Wilson (AUS) 14.10 DEF. Miguel Pupo (BRA) 9.40

HEAT 4: Kanoa Igarashi (JPN) 14.34 DEF. Jordy Smith (RSA) 13.84

Bonsoy Gold Coast Pro Presented by GWM Women’s Quarterfinal Results:

HEAT 1: Vahine Fierro (FRA) 12.83 DEF. Luana Silva (BRA) 10.83

HEAT 2: Bettylou Sakura Johnson (HAW) 15.33 DEF. Molly Picklum (AUS) 13.37

HEAT 3: Erin Brooks (CAN) 17.76 DEF. Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 14.27

HEAT 4: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 14.47 DEF. Isabella Nichols (AUS) 12.60