Australian surfing star Sally Fitzgibbons has won her fourth ISA World Surfing Games gold medal – but cruelly been denied a position at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
In a remarkable performance under insane pressure, Fitzgibbons won the ISA World Surfing Games title in Puerto Rico, where the winning team was going to secure an extra qualifitation spot for the Olympic Games.
Fitzgibbons knew going into the event the only way she could keep her Olympic dreams alive was to win the entire tournament.
With Molly Picklum and Tyler Wright having already claimed Australia’s two quota spots as the highest ranked performers on last year’s World Surf League tour, the hopes of Fitzgibbons rested solely on this one event in Puerto Rico.
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It has been a difficult past year for Fitzgibbons after she failed to make the halfway cut on the WSL in 2023 and was forced to fight her way back onto the tour in 2024 via the qualifying series.
But she always knew her Olympic hopes could be revived with one big performance at the ISA Games.
Fitzgibbons delivered her end of the bargain – but in a cruel twist, the quota spot was awarded to the highest-ranked team, not the highest-ranked individual.
Brazil’s Tatiana Weston Webb finished second in the final, which was enough for her country to topple Australia 1755-1720.
Had Weston Webb finished third, Australia would’ve secured the final quota spot.
Even with everything on the line, Fitzgibbons did it the hard way securing enough points on a buzzer beater wave just to even reach the finals.
But buoyed on by the enormous support of the Irukandjis – Australia’s surfing team name – she was able to prevail in the final and celebrate in style by getting chaired up the beach.
The men’s final and last Olympic spot was won by Brazil’s multiple world champion Gabriel Medina.
Source Agencies
