Stephanie Gilmore

Stephanie Louise Gilmore (born 29 January 1988) is an Australian professional surfer and eight-time world champion on the women's World Surf League (WSL) professional tour. She is considered to be one of the greatest surfers of all time, with the most world titles and event victories in the history of the women's WSL and its predecessor, the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP). Her father was a surfer, who Gilmore described as "a bit of a hippy", while her mother worked as a primary school teacher.

She began to surf when her father would pick her up after school, and go to their local beach in Kingscliff, with Gilmore asked to decide to wait on the beach or come surfing, choosing the latter. Her first experience in the surf was riding a boogie board in the waves while being "towed" by her father at the age of nine. In addition to wild card appearances, Gilmore joined the ASP Qualifying Series, finishing second overall and qualifying for the 2007 ASP World Tour. The next event took place in Brazil in August, with Gilmore earning the overall lead by finishing in the semifinal.

Entering the final round in the Billabong Pro Maui, continuing to be ranked world number one; her other world title contenders—Mulánovich and Lima—both lost during round three, meaning Gilmore had won the world title. Gilmore was not expecting to seal the world title as quickly during the event, describing the events that unfolded as "a shock." Gilmore still considers her 2007 world title "very memorable," given that it was both her first title and her debut season.

2008–2010: Undefeated world title streak In her first competition in the 2008 season, Gilmore finished ninth at Snapper Rocks, although was able to win at Bells Beach for the second consecutive year. Gilmore became the leader in the world title race after a win in Peru for the second consecutive season, beating Beachley and Lima enroute, as Mulánovich was surprisingly eliminated in the quarterfinals. At Sunset Beach, two rounds left in the season, Gilmore, Beachley, Mulánovich and Lima were all still in contention to win the world title, but all had to win the event to prevent Gilmore from winning the title with one event left to spare.

Gilmore began her 2009 season intending to win her home event, Snapper Rocks, which she eventually accomplished, while also being conscious of a new generation of rookies entering the tour, including future championship rival Sally Fitzgibbons. She sealed her third consecutive world title in a row at Sunset Beach, when her world championship rivals lost in previous heats, leaving Gilmore the last woman standing. She finished her season by winning the Billabong Pro Maui, securing a triple crown title for the second consecutive year, beating Mulánovich by eight points in the final. When asked about whether she had anything else left to prove, she replied, "I feel like I've got nothing left to prove really and I'm just working on my own performance in the water."

In 2010, Gilmore's road to the road title began with winning at Snapper Rocks for the second consecutive year. In addition, she reclaimed her title at Bell's Beach, beating Fitzgibbons in the semi-final and Mulánovich in the final, although nearly had a premature departure from the competition when she narrowly beat newcomer Tyler Wright in round three. The event in Taranaki, New Zealand, saw Gilmore suffer a surprise loss to New Zealand teenager Sarah Mason in the third round. She also was eliminated in the third round at the US Open of Surfing event in Huntington Beach. Gilmore sealed her fourth consecutive world title when reaching the quarterfinal of the second last event of the season in Puerto Rico, with a 0.10 point victory over Melanie Bartels. When asked about how she felt achieving the accomplishment, she replied, "Not even in my wildest dreams did I think I could win consecutively like this."

On 27 December 2010, Gilmore was walking home from the movie theatres after a close friend who was originally meant to meet up with her could not make it at the last minute, when she was attacked twice by a homeless man with a metal bar as she approached her apartment, with hits to her head and her arm. She was admitted to the hospital with cuts to the head and a broken wrist that she used to shield herself. Spending weeks away from surfing to recover, Gilmore when reflecting on the period in 2019, stated, "It was the first time in my life that I had such a traumatic experience and such a mountain to climb ahead of me.” The event in Rio de Janeiro in May, saw Gilmore eliminated from contention for the world title for the first time in her career, with a loss in the semi-finals to world number two, Sally Fitzgibbons, after being required to finish above world number one, Carissa Moore, to stay within reach. Ironically, Gilmore would end Fitzgibbons world title chances in Biarritz, France, by winning the event over the newly-crowned world champion, Moore. Gilmore's mental health continued to suffer, which affected her performance on the tour throughout the season, "I think the hardest part was, because I'd won four world titles back-to-back, I didn't know what losing was like and to lose that winning streak due to something that was out of my control seemed like such a bummer." After the challenges she faced in the previous year, Gilmore said she was "100 per cent more confident, my strength, my whole knowledge, awareness, everything." Gilmore solidified her world title in July with her third event win of the year in Biarritz, France, defeating Tyler Wright in the final, while her only other title contender, Fitzgibbons, was beaten in the quarterfinals, making Gilmore's lead unassailable heading into the final event in Huntington Beach, California. Gilmore has called this world title, in particular, her most "rewarding", describing it as the first time she "had to really persevere through something", and the first world title since her attack in 2010. Additionally, at Bells Beach, Gilmore, suffering from a broken foot sustained before the event, was eliminated in the quarterfinals by Wright and faced sudden-death rounds twice along the way. Gilmore reflected on the form of her fellow surfers being "much better" and was already eliminated from the world title race before the event in Hossegor, France. Gilmore would go without an event win for the first time in a season and finished fifth in the world. Her victory was her first event win since winning Biarritz, France in 2012. Gilmore would become world number one heading into the next event in Margaret River, making it to the semi-finals after winning her quarterfinal against Courtney Conlogue by 0.2 points, setting up another duel against Moore, who would eliminate Gilmore from the event. Gilmore progressed to the semi-finals at Bells Beach alongside her future world title rivals Fitzgibbons, Moore, and Wright, as the latter would eliminate Gilmore in the semi finals. Rio became Gilmore's worst event of the season, eliminated in the second round by former world title rival Silvana Lima. In Cloudbreak, Fiji, a showdown with Sally Fitzgibbons, their first of three for the season, saw Fitzgibbons narrowly beat Gilmore by 0.27 points, despite Gilmore leading for a majority of the heat. At the end of the event in Fiji, Gilmore would be ranked third in the world, behind Moore and Fitzgibbons. Gilmore declared after the event in Trestles that the world title race between herself, Fitzgibbons, Moore and Tyler Wright would "be a really exciting finish," with only two events left in Cascais and Maui.

Considered to be one of the best years of competition on the women's tour that the sport had seen, a season that saw the lead change on multiple occasions, Gilmore expressed her excitement and the "benefit" of having a close title race. The world title came down to the final round in Maui, with only Gilmore, Fitzgibbons and Wright still in contention, guaranteeing an Australian world champion. Fitzgibbons would also be beaten in her quarterfinal match only thirty minutes later, solidifying Gilmore as at least world number two, as Wright progressed through to the final against Moore, with Wright requiring an event win to equal Gilmore and force a surf-off for the world title. Wright would go on to lose to Moore, thus making Gilmore the world champion. Although a hair-line fracture in her knee, sustained during the Margaret River Pro, ruled her out for most of the season. Gilmore revealed that most of 2015 consisted of her watching "from the computer screen" and was "jealous" that she could not go and compete. She briefly returned to the tour, competing at the event in France before withdrawing again, missing the final event in Maui. Gilmore competing at the US Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach, California during the 2016 WSL season. A challenger event in Newcastle that took place before the first event of the 2016 season, saw Gilmore lose to Fitzgibbons in the final, revealing her knee had fully healed and she was fit to compete. She would finish the year being knocked out in the fourth round in Maui, in a season that would see her ranked sixth overall.

Gilmore began 2017 by winning her first tour event since 2014 in Snapper Rocks, beating Lakey Peterson in the final by 3.98 points. She also discussed the increased difficulty in contending for a world title, with more women in contention than in seasons past, specifically naming Fitzgibbons, Moore, Wright and Courtney Conlogue. Her strong start during the Australian leg of the season unfortunately did not continue for the rest of the season, not finishing above the quarterfinals until the final event of the season in Maui, describing her form after Margaret River as "a hot mess." Gilmore would go on to win the event in Maui, finishing as number two in the world, behind world champion, Wright. Gilmore's first victory of the season came at Bells Beach, her first at the event since 2010, with a close final between her and Tatiana Weston-Webb coming down to the final wave, winning by 0.23. She would become world number one again leading into Margaret River, reaching the quarterfinal, only for the event to be postponed by the World Surf League due to safety concerns. Her second event win of the year came in Rio, beating Lakey Peterson in the final, which was also Gilmore's first win in Brazil and kept her as world number one. Her third and final event win of the year came in Jeffreys Bay, South Africa, where she beat Peterson in the final for the second time.

Gilmore would have been able to win her seventh world title during the event in France, only to be eliminated by Conlogue in the third round, thus forcing a final event showdown in Maui against Peterson. Gilmore elaborated that her love of surfing helped her stay relaxed throughout the final event in Maui, particularly when Peterson was surprisingly eliminated in round two, ensuring Gilmore would be world champion. Gilmore also said she was "honoured" to see the change occur within her career and hoped that the change will "affect will be far beyond sport." After a victory in Bali, which included a 10-point wave in the competition, Gilmore's hot-and-cold season continued with a loss in the quarterfinals in Margaret River. Her coach, Jake Patterson described Gilmore as being "worn out and flat" and Gilmore being her own "biggest critic," with an injury sustained throughout the season shifting her focus from winning the world title to "cruising the year out." She would finish fourth in the world, with her results throughout the season were enough for Gilmore to earn Australia's quota position for the 2020 Summer Olympics, the sports debut in the Olympic Games. With the COVID-19 outbreak occurring, the 2020 season was eventually cancelled, with the Olympic Games postponed to the next year. Gilmore would not be scheduled to compete again on the tour until December 2020. Gilmore's first of two finals of the season was a loss at Margaret River, with the rest of the season summed up by Gilmore saying, "I didn't perform to my ability." Despite feeling heartbroken about her exit from the competition, she was still pleased to say, "I still get to call myself an Olympian, which is pretty rad." She would lose in the first round of the WSL finals, with the world title being won by Moore. Her only win of the regular season came at El Salvador, which became her 33rd win on the WSL tour, defeating Lakey Peterson in the final. With eleven minutes left of the final, Gilmore's total score was 1.03 points, only to grab two waves worth 7.33 and 5.67 points to take the lead with less than a few minutes left of the heat. She would defeat second seed Johanne Defay by a gap over six points, with her final match up being between world number one and long-time competitive rival Moore. Despite this, she had a brief change of heart after winning her world title and later admitted she enjoyed the "grand final" moment and seeing it as "a phenomenal performance that I should be very proud of."

2023-2025: Missing WSL finals and competition hiatus Beginning the season as the reigning world champion, Gilmore stated her goals in 2023 were to improve at Tahiti and Pipeline specifically, as being waves that "scare the heck out of me." She continued to struggle finding form, surviving the mid-season cut in Margaret River, when she reached the round of 16. She was eliminated in the quarterfinals at Jeffreys Bay by Molly Picklum, although had made her way to world number six before the final regular season event in Tahiti. She was unable to qualify for the WSL finals or defend her world title, finishing in sixth overall, as Tahiti became her final event before going on a hiatus from competition. She stated that injuries that had been sustained throughout her competitive career were not completely healed and would instead focus on travelling and sponsor appearances. One of these endeavours included signing a multi-million-dollar contract in 2024 to be sponsored by Rip Curl for the next eight years.

Gilmore briefly returned as a wild card for the 2025 Gold Coast Pro, in a run that included knocking out reigning world champion Caitlin Simmers, before losing in the quarterfinals to Erin Brooks. Brooks, was notably only five months old when Gilmore won her first world title in 2007, a fact that Gilmore embraced, comparing the situation to Kelly Slater's on the men's tour. Competing at her home event on the Gold Coast, Gilmore won her first tour event since 2022, beating Luana Silva in the final and registering an overall heat total of 17.33, which included a wave score of 9.50.

Rivalries

Gilmore vs. Carissa Moore The rivalry between Gilmore and Hawaiian Carissa Moore is considered one of the strongest in the sport, with both women winning 13 of the 16 world titles between them from 2007 to 2023. Between 2010 and 2015, Gilmore and Moore traded world titles, with Gilmore winning in 2010, 2012 and 2014, while Moore was victorious in 2011, 2013 and 2015. Although world title matchups between the two women were rare during this period, when one was in the running for a world title, the other would struggle or be injured, with 2014 being the sole exception. Their most famous heat notably their 2022 finals series heats for the world title, with Gilmore unexpectedly making a run from fifth to first, beating Moore in both of their best-of-three heats to win the world title.

Gilmore vs. Sally Fitzgibbons Gilmore has also maintained a domestic rivalry with fellow Australian Sally Fitzgibbons. Gilmore and Fitzgibbons competed against each other since being juniors on the Australian circuit, with Fitzgibbons stating Gilmore gave her a "belief" and a competitive benchmark to strive to after witnessing Gilmore winning the world title in 2007, which followed on from Australia's long, high-performing standards on the women's tour. Both Gilmore and Fitzgibbons were involved in world title showdowns in 2010 and 2012, with Gilmore winning both.

Public image

Endorsements and appearances Gilmore remains one of the most highly sought-after athletes in Australian sport and around the world, with her positive, friendly nature, along with her long blonde hair and smile, with Vogue Australia dubbing her "the picture-perfect surfer girl." In 2022, she was ranked eighth highest-earning Australian female athlete, courtesy of her endorsement deals, as well as her 2022 world title victory which alone earnt her $150,000. Outside of surfing, Gilmore currently has endorsements with Audi, TechnologyOne, YETI and Breitling. She appeared as a guest at the Met Gala in 2015 when recovering from her knee injury.

In addition to endorsements, Gilmore has also featured in documentaries regarding her surfing career. She was notably selected as one of the featured athletes for the World Surf League's docuseries Make or Break on Apple TV. During her hiatus from competition, Gilmore, in conjunction with her sponsor Rip Curl, joined Rip Curl's The Search alongside Tom Curren, Mason Ho and Mick Fanning.

Activism Gilmore is known to be an advocate for women's rights in professional sport, particularly in surfing. When a discussion about labelling and sexualising women in sport after being involved in a controversial advertising campaign for the Roxy Pro in France, Gilmore noted how physical appearances should not take away from highlighting women in sport, saying in 2014, "When girls embrace their femininity and sexuality, it's not taking away from their power and athleticism at all; they're combining the two sides, and that's a very powerful combination for a girl to have." In 2018, Gilmore, along with Kelly Slater, wrote a letter supporting the World Surf League's equal pay policy when the announcement for equal pay was made. Despite the accolades and praise, Gilmore still finds it difficult to believe the praise, with her coach Jake Patterson adding, "My biggest battle is to convince her that she is the best and to believe in it". Beachley, particularly describing Gilmore as being "a tremendous role model" and "ambassador" for surfing, describing her surfing style and technique as "graceful" and "effortless". Joel Parkinson dubbed Gilmore as "probably the greatest Australian surfer of all time." Gilmore has also been a role model to many surfers throughout the sport, including Molly Picklum, who named her as "the absolute queen of surfing", and Filipe Toledo, who chose to honour Gilmore by wearing her name on the back of his jersey at the Portugal event in 2023, coinciding with International Women's Day.

Personal life Gilmore is an accomplished guitarist, being taught by her father when she was ten years old. She has appeared on stage at gigs and festivals accompanying acts including Spiderbait, Bernard Fanning, Jimmy Buffett and Taylor Hawkins' side-project, Chevy Metal.

Gilmore is nicknamed 'Happy Gilmore', due to her easy going and cheerful persona.

Gilmore has stated Cathy Freeman, Susie O'Neill, Layne Beachley and Kelly Slater, as being among her sporting inspirations. She wears the number 88 on the back of her jersey, choosing the number as she "was born in 1988".

Statistics

Victories WSL World Tour Wins Source YearEventVenueCountryNotes 2005 Roxy Pro Gold Coast Gold Coast, Queensland Wildcard competitor 2006 Havaianas Beachley Classic Manly Beach, Sydney, NSW Wildcard competitor 2007 Rip Curl Women's Pro Bells Beach, Victoria NAB Beachley Classic Manly Beach, Sydney, NSW Mancora Peru Classic Máncora Billabong Pro Honolua Bay United States 2008 Rip Curl Women's Pro Bells Beach, Victoria Rip Curl Pro Mademoiselle Hossegor Movistar Classic Máncora Roxy Pro Sunset Beach United States Billabong Pro Honolua Bay United States 2009 Roxy Pro Gold Coast Gold Coast, Queensland Billabong Pro Sunset Beach United States 2010 Roxy Pro Gold Coast Gold Coast, Queensland Rip Curl Women's Pro Bells Beach, Victoria Commonwealth Bank Beachley Classic Dee Why, New South Wales Rip Curl Search Isabela, Puerto Rico 2011 Roxy Pro France Biarritz 2012 Roxy Pro Gold Coast Gold Coast, Queensland TSB Bank NZ Surf Festival Taranaki Roxy Pro France Biarritz 2014 Roxy Pro Gold Coast Gold Coast, Queensland Swatch Women's Pro Trestles Trestles Cascais Women's Pro Cascais 2017 Roxy Pro Gold Coast Gold Coast, Queensland Maui Women's Pro Honolua Bay 2018 Rip Curl Women's Pro Bells Beach, Victoria Rio Pro Rio de Janeiro Corona Open J-Bay Jeffreys Bay 2019 Corona Bali Protected Keramas, Bali lululemon Maui Pro Honolua Bay 2021 Corona Open Mexico Barra De la Cruz 2022Surf City El Salvador ProPunta Roca WSL Finals Lower Trestles 2026 Bonsoy Gold Coast Pro Gold Coast, Queensland

WSL Women's Championship Tour: 2010-2017