A Fairytale Return for Stephanie Gilmore
Stephanie Gilmore has made a fairytale return to Snapper Rocks, where she claimed her seventh title at her home break after taking two years away from the tour. The eight-time world champion held off a challenge from Luana Silva to secure the Gold Coast Pro title 21 years after her first win, denying the young Brazilian a maiden World Surf League title.
Australian fans celebrated on Monday as Queenslander Ethan Ewing edged Japan’s Connor O’Leary in the men’s final to win his first tour event since 2023. Returning to the Championship Tour fulltime in 2026 after her extended hiatus, Gilmore found her groove in the third stop of the year and outclassed 21-year-old Silva with a score of 17.33 to 14.07.
This was her first tour win since July 2022—the year she won her last world title. Gilmore admitted she wasn’t sure if she’d win another event. “Oh my god, I literally didn’t think I was going to win an event this year—I cannot believe I won this event,” she said.
“I feel like I just got better and better every heat and I finally pieced it together in the final there. I was just accepting the fact that maybe I’m not the best surfer anymore on all the free surf days, but if I can put it together in a heat, then I can still get there all the way to the end.”
“I seriously didn’t think I could go all the way to a win, but if it was ever going to happen somewhere, this is it.”
Winning her first Gold Coast event at Snapper back in 2005 as a 17-year-old schoolgirl wildcard, the now 38-year-old proved she’d lost none of her potency in the final. Gilmore nailed the result with the best score of the day, with her trademark searing carves and transitions awarded an incredible 9.50.
A Tight Men’s Final
The men’s final was a tight affair with Ewing taking a narrow lead in the early exchanges with O’Leary, who is a Sydneysider but switched his nationality to Japan in 2023 to honour his mother’s heritage. O’Leary only needed a score of 6.67 to take the lead and had more than half the heat to find it, but neither surfer could improve on their two-wave total with Ewing triumphant 14.56 to 14.17.
The 2023 world title runner-up has had a lean start to the year but hoped the victory, which pushes him to world No.4, could kick-start his campaign.
“I haven’t had a win in like three years, and up against Connor, he’s been on fire and is such a good backhand surfer and competitor,” said 27-year-old Ewing, who hails from Stradbroke Island. “Winning here has been such a big goal of mine as it’s an hour away from home, and as a little kid I used to come down here and watch this event, so this has been at the top of the list to win.”
“It’s huge for my campaign, back to work tomorrow, but tonight let’s go.”
A New Chapter for Brazilian Surfers
While Silva missed out on the title, she and fellow Brazilian Gabriel Medina won cars as the dominant surfers through the three-event Australian swing. Both will also wear the yellow leader’s jersey at the next tour stop in New Zealand. This marks a significant achievement for the Brazilian surfers, showcasing their strength and consistency throughout the season.
As the surfing world looks ahead to the next events, the performances of Gilmore, Ewing, Silva, and Medina highlight the exciting developments in the sport. Each athlete brings a unique story and skill set, contributing to the vibrant and competitive nature of the World Surf League.
