Photo: Emma Sharon/WSL
If there is a theme to competitive surfing this year, it’s the clear and rapid ascension of the women’s youth movement. The average age of the women’s top five CT surfers is 21. And yet here 33-year-old Sally Fitzgibbons, still chipping away.
Fitzgibbons has been one of surfing’s elite for well over a decade, but she’s consistently been outmaneuvered for world titles by Stephanie Gilmore, Carissa Moore and Tyler Wright. The last two seasons have been especially difficult as she’s missed the CT Mid-Year Cut in 2023 and 2024. At this point, the WSL should give her a lifetime achievement award as this win in HB sets her up for a remarkable 15th CT season in 2025.
The U.S. Open of Surfing women’s final on Sunday between Fitzgibbons and Bella Kenworthy was a classic rookie vs vet matchup. This was Kenworthy’s second straight CS final, and Fitzgibbons was runner-up here in 2023.
An emotional Fitzgibbons emerged victorious, but she had several uncharacteristic falls and it looked like the 17-year-old Kenworthy would take advantage. Despite Kenworthy getting the highest-scoring wave of the heat (6.93), Fitzgibbons caught more rides and properly thrashed them, picking off peaks with just enough shape and reform. She’s surfed in 122 CT events and knows all the tricks. She sold Kenworthy on several waves that didn’t pan out.
Photo: Pat Nolan/WSL
How’s this for longevity: Fitzgibbons won the U.S. Open 13 years ago when Kenworthy was just four years old. A long time between drinks for the legendary Australian who now leads the CS rankings with two events left. A tearful Fitzgibbons thanked her parents from the podium for their relentless support.
“Mom and Dad, you’ve been down at the beach since I was 9 or 10 years old doing all-day beach days,” she said. “Just like today, an all-day beach day together. Over 20 years later, I wouldn’t have it any other way. Surfing for me has become life. If you just keep showing up to it, you never know what can happen.”
The next Challenger Series event will be in late September at Ericeira, Portugal, where we’ll have an even better idea of who will head to the CT in 2025.