Sally Fitzgibbons, Tyler Wright lead world title race ahead of Hawaii finale

IT’S the simplest of calculations. Win the Maui Pro and either Sally Fitzgibbons or Tyler Wright will become the 22nd Australian woman to be crowned a world champion of the surfing.

Sally Fitzgibbons leads the world title race going into the finale in Hawaii.

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IT’S the simplest of calculations. If they win the Maui Pro either Sally Fitzgibbons or Tyler Wright will become the 22nd Australian woman to be crowned a world champion of the surfing.

The world title race will go down to the wire after both Aussies lost their semi-finals at the Roxy Pro France won by former triple world champion Carissa Moore.

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The result has left Fitzgibbons leading the race heading into next months finale in Hawaii and Wright now in second place with their worst result eradicated from their scoreline.

Tyler Wright and Sally Fitzgibbons with their trophies at the Margaret River Pro earlier this year.

While both Aussies can still lose the world crown to American Courtney Conlogue at the final event of the year at Honolua Bay, Maui, they remain in pole position to continue Australia’s domination of women’s world surfing.

Australia’s most successful female surfers are seven-time world champion Layne Beachley and six-time titleholder Stephanie Gilmore.

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Ahead of the season finale, Fitzgibbons has a narrow lead overall from defending world champion Wright and Conlogue, the latter on the hunt for her first world crown.

At the conclusion of the Maui Pro a second result can also be dropped.

Fitzgibbons, beaten by eventual winner Moore in her semi-final in France, has used a string of lay days in France to begin fine-tuning her moves for Hawaii as she chases a maiden world crown.

Sally Fitzgibbons surfing in France.

Tyler Wright made it to the semi-finals of the Roxy Pro.

“It’s been great to use the week we had to kind of better myself away from competition and keep surfing,” Fitzgibbons said.

“I feel like my surfing was there, I really just didn’t bump into the opportunity.

“It’s good to be consistent throughout the year, but you know I have the desire, I want to win events and be on that podium.”

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Wright, beaten by Lakey Peterson for a spot in the final in France where she won her world crown a year ago, says a recent knee injury has actually helped her refocus on her goal of winning a second world crown.

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“I’ve actually enjoyed the journey of this injury,” she said.

Tyler Wright and Sally Fitzgibbons have both won an event on the world tour this year.

“It’s actually pushed me forward at an accelerated rate.’’

The waiting period for the Maui Women’s Pro, Honolua Bay, is from November 25 to December 6.

Prior to the finale Fitzgibbons is hosting a celebration of Australian Women in Surf dinner on October 28 in Sydney open to the public and being attended by a who’s who of the sport.

All proceeds from the event go to the Sally Fitzgibbons Foundation established to inspire our next generation to live healthy and happy lives and help combat the global childhood obesity epidemic. TICKET INFORMATION HERE.

LEADERBOARD (ahead of the final event of the year with worse performance taken out)

1 Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 52,900 pts

2 Tyler Wright (AUS) 51,200 pts

3 Courtney Conlogue (USA) 50,000 pts