Australian surfing’s great survivor Sally Fitzgibbons has kept her season alive by beating world No.1 Caity Simmers in a Bells Beach Pro boilover.
Two-time Bells champion Fitzgibbons has been the most recognisable victim of the WSL’s mid-season cut since it was introduced in 2022, which reduces the permanent women’s competition from 18 competitors to 10, and the men’s from 36 to 22, at the world tour’s halfway point.
Sally Fitzgibbons with a young local surfer before keeping her season alive at the Bells Beach Pro.Credit: World Surf League via Getty Images
For the past three seasons, Fitzgibbons’ 12th and 13th place finishes have consigned her to the WSL’s gruelling requalification process in far-flung places around the world.
Four underwhelming returns to start 2025 had her ranked 15th and staring down the same fate before she was drawn to face 19-year-old Simmers at Bells Beach on Thursday.
Fitzgibbons’ “home ground” advantage against the reigning world and Bells champion instead triggered a 12.73 to 10.10 upset and quarter-final passage for the oldest surfer on tour.
The 34-year-old was overcome with emotion when the hooter sounded.
“I’ve already done a few laps of the world this year, and not been able to score any real points or get any traction in the [rankings], or have my best surfing come out,” Fitzgibbons said.
“That’s a lot of 40-hour trips just sitting in a plane seat just thinking about the whole scenario, and you’re planning your days and whole life around those 30-minute heats.
“It all compounds and becomes so meaningful, so that’s where the emotion came from. It’s been a tough run of results, but I couldn’t be any more excited. I’m so pumped for the challenge of keeping myself going with the cut. It’s such a heavy scenario – you can really go from zero to hero.
“And going up against the best surfers, a world No.1, it’s, yep, I’m either packing my bags and going home, or I’m finding a light at the end of the tunnel.”
Fitzgibbons’ upset of Simmers followed a similar shock result for Australian No.3 Molly Picklum, who was knocked off by 13th-ranked Brazilian Luana Silva to start Thursday’s heats.
Fitzgibbons now has a golden opportunity to move up the rankings with a quarter-final against Costa Rica’s Brisa Hennessy in the coming days. The WSL mid-season cut falls at the end of the three-event Australian leg of the world tour at Margaret River next month.
