Trials winner Isabella Nichols, Nikki Van Dijk take down world champa Steph Gilmore, Carissa Moore
World surfing champions Stephanie Gilmore and Carissa Moore have been taken down in their first world tour heats of the year by a rising star and a woman hoping to “sneak” her way onto the Australian Olympic team.
World surfing champions Stephanie Gilmore and Carissa Moore have been taken down in their first world tour heats of the year by a rising star and a woman hoping to “sneak” her way onto the Australian Olympic team.
Trials winner Isabella Nichols pulled off the biggest upset of her career when she beat Gilmore in the opening heat of the Boost Mobile Pro at Snapper Rocks on Thursday.
While Gilmore’s second place still saw her advance into the third round of an event she has won six times, the win was a major confidence booster for former world junior champion Nichols.
“I had a game plan and I stuck to it but I still surprised myself with that,” said Nichols, who last month finished second at the Sydney Surf Pro to former world tour surfer Alessa Quizon.
“I was pretty nervous before the heat knowing I was surfing against Steph but once out there I settled down and just got on with it.”
While Sally Fitzgibbons and world tour rookie Macy Callaghan had to surf their way out of the elimination round after first round shockers, another surfer taking down a world champion was Phillip Island gun Nikki Van Dijk.
Van Dijk says one of her goals this season is to qualify for surfing’s Olympic debut in Tokyo and showed she has the moves to do it by taking down 2011, 2013, 2015 world champion Moore who, along with Gilmore, is the only world champion competing on the women’s world tour.
“I did a couple of lead up events and 100 per cent it helped. I got good feedback in the wax,” she said.
Van Dijk, who lacks the profile of Gilmore and multiple world tour event winner Sally Fitzgibbons, says she is hoping to fly under the radar this season as she seeks to secure a spot in the Olympics by being either the first or second ranked Australian woman in the world tour top eight.
“I have a new trainer, a new coach, I’m working at the Institute of Sport in Victoria. I’m serious about this,” she said.
“I’m hoping I can sneak my way in.”
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