Tokyo Olympics: Stephanie Gilmore’s Margaret River result her best in 2021
It's not often Stephanie Gilmore is happy with second. But this time it is a result which show he is on course for medal success at the Tokyo Olympics.
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Four rounds into the world tour and our Olympic surfers are starting to look like Olympic medal contenders - our women at least.
Seven-time world champion Stephanie Gilmore overcame a chequered history at Margaret River - which included fracturing her fibula in a free surf six years ago - to finish runner-up to Brazilian Tatiana Weston-Webb in the Boost Mobile Margaret River Pro on Monday.
It was Gilmore’s best result of the season - and the best result in 2021 of any of the four Australian surfers earmarked to compete in Tokyo where surfing debuts later this year.
“I’m stoked. Second isn’t always the greatest but here, I will take it,’’ Gilmore said.
“I’m on the improve. I’m just chipping away.
“Knowing I will compete at the Olympics against most of these girls, this is just great practice.
“We have Rottnest next so there's still more work to do to stay sharp and on top of our competition.’’
Weston-Webb made it to thr final with her defeat of local Bronte Macaulay, who surfed just a day after the death of her brother Jack.
“Bronte, it was incredible courage to show up this morning, just so strong,” Gilmore said. “We’re sending you all the love in the world, so I hope you’re feeling it.”
Gilmore’s second place follows on from three fifth places in earlier world tour events and leaves her in third place on the world rankings behind American Carissa Moore and West-Webb, two of the early favourites for gold in Tokyo.
Gimore beat multiple world champion Moore in the semi-final to earn her spot in the decider won by her Brazilian rival 16.23 to 15.00.
Sally Fitzgibbons, who has been preselected for the Olympics along with Gilmore, Owen Wright and Julian Wilson, fell in the quarter-finals to finish fifth at the event - the same position she is on the world rankings.
Wright finished 17th in the men’s competition and Wilson 9th at Margaret River. Neither surfer has produced a performance better than a ninth on the world tour this year and being dominated by Brazilian surfers.
Felipe Toledo on Monday beat South African Jordy Smith for the men's crown.
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