Sally Fitzgibbons Slips Into The Number One Spot With Steph Gilmore

In onshore, wonky conditions the girls hit Main Break in slightly overhead surf on finals day of the Drug Aware Pro. In the tradition of the event, it was a slanted cutback competition plagued by mid-face turns. Main Break served up a flat mess with dead spots between sections and made for a viewing experience slightly more exciting than a trip to the laundromat.

The adorable Sage Erickson faced off against defending world champ Tyler Wright who combo’d Sage in the early minutes. Miss Erickson couldn’t get the scores together to take out the Australian powerhouse and exited in 3rd, putting her in the ten slot overall.

“It was pretty tricky out there, but there were definitely opportunities, which Tyler [Wright] took advantage of,” Sage said, in a cheery yet disappointed voice in her post heat interview. “I feel like where I fell down was letting her take good waves and not choosing the better ones myself. I never really felt in-tune with the conditions and she definitely was. This event has been a really great learning experience for me.”

Six-time world champ, Steph Gilmore now shares the first place spot with Drug Aware Pro winner, Sally Fitzgibbons. In the semis, Steph lost by .5 points, leading to Sally’s victory over Tyler in the finals where she dominated the heat winning 14.90 to 12.53.

“I’m so over the moon to be holding this trophy,” Fitzgibbons said. “When I heard my name being called out as the champion, I really felt a sense of belonging and calm. It’s been an amazing couple of weeks here in the West and to finish it off with a win is the best feeling. I love coming to Margaret River. I feel like it’s a place that I am super comfortable and familiar with, so it’s a special event win for me.”

Final Results:

1. Sally Fitzgibbons 14.90
2. Tyler Wright 12.53

Semifinal Results:

SF 1: Tyler Wright 16.00 def. Sage Erickson 12.17
SF 2: Sally Fitzgibbons 11.43 def.  Stephanie Gilmore 10.93

2017 WSL Women’s Jeep Leaderboard:

1. Stephanie Gilmore 16,500 pts
1. Sally Fitzgibbons 16,500 pts
3. Tyler Wright 13,200 pts
4. Carissa Moore 10,400 pts
4. Nikki Van Dijk 10,400 pts