Since 1998 there have been 26 Championship Tour Women’s World Titles won and 18 of them have been won by Australians. When Layne Beachley won her first World Title in ‘98 her nine year streak was interrupted only by compatriot Chelsea Georgeson and Peru’s Sofia Mulanovich until she handed the baton to Stephanie Gilmore in 2007 who, as we all know went on to win eight World Titles. Since Layne launched this period of Australian dominance in the late ‘90s, Australians have won a World Title at least every second year bar one until 2022 - a 24 year reign.
With Caity Simmers ’ win at Trestles last week we have seen back to back World Titles claimed by Americans and what most would say could be the start of a Simmers dynasty. Some are comparing the young generation of talent taking the world by storm right now to the men’s Momentum Generation of the 90s who brought the kind of surfing that had never been seen before and went on to have a lasting impact on the men’s World Tour and surfing as a sport globally. But, what Layne and Steph did, to go from one GOAT to the next, could also only be done because they surfed ahead of their time - when Steph came on tour she was doing things that we hadn’t really seen women do in competition before and Layne was basically a competitive animal.
After Carissa Moore joined, Steph and Carissa went one for one on World Titles for almost a decade with only Tyler breaking the exchange to claim two World Titles in the middle. When Tyler Wright joined the ranks she became the youngest CT event winner ever, winning the Roxy Pro Gold Coast when she was just 15 because she brought a new brand of power.
Now, for the first time in a long time, Australia doesn’t have a woman on tour who is completely dominant.
Related: 8x World Champion Stephanie Gilmore Talks Potential Return to Competition (Interview)
Obviously Molly Picklum has been throwing down in the last two years, but her competitive surfing certainly has some evolving to do. At Trestles this year she never really looked like she got going in the first heat against Tati Weston-Webb and despite having some of the best backhand barrel riding in the women’s draw and a super strong start to the year in Hawaii, she didn’t really manage to deliver in the moments we thought she would - the Tahiti Pro , the Olympics and the Fiji Pro . The prospect of Picklum learning to deliver under pressure and across all kinds of waves to bring her seriously into the world title conversation is high, but it could be a few years away. Tyler also had a rough year this year, sharing recently that treatment she is undergoing with her airway has made her vulnerable to concussion, which left her only just inside the Cut line.
And then, down on the Challenger Series , where we eagerly await 17-year-old Sierra Kerr ’s move to dominance, instead of seeing Kerr’s name in the realm of qualification, we have veteran Sally Fitzgibbons leading the rankings after winning the US Open last month. Just behind her is Isabella Nichols - both surfers coming on and off Tour a few times since they introduced the Cut in 2022. Between them in the rankings is Erin Brooks who many would estimate could go straight into a World Title in 2025 with Finals set to be held in Fiji. The last person to win a World Title in their rookie year was Steph Gilmore 17 years ago.
So, who will be Australia’s next women’s World Champion? Right now, it’s hard to say.
Related: Erin Brooks, Sawyer Lindblad Headline San Clemente Girls Surf Day
Related: 17-Year-Old Canadian Wildcard Erin Brooks Earns Historic Win at 2024 Fiji Pro
Local News
Comments / 0