Bulletin’s Big Q&A with seven-time World Surf League champion Steph Gilmore
A QUARTER-final exit from her home event at the Boost Mobile Pro last week has done little to quell the fire burning inside Steph Gilmore. The seven-time world champion sits down to discuss the past, present and future in this week’s Big Q&A.
Surfing
Don't miss out on the headlines from Surfing. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A QUARTER-final exit from her home event at the Boost Mobile Pro last week has done little to quell the fire burning inside Steph Gilmore.
The seven-time world champion sits down to discuss the past, present and future in this week’s Big Q&A.
Q. Let’s start with the elephant in the room - can you move ahead of Layne Beachley’s seven world titles this season?
A. It’s a possibility. It’s going to be a long year. I know last year worked out well for me but I’ll have to continue to find that motivation, inspiration and stay driven and focused the whole year. But I’d love to win another one. I’m competitive, I don’t like to sit equal in that sense. But it’s such an honour to sit alongside Layne with seven world titles and of course while I love what I do why not keep going?
Q. You talk about motivation and desire. Is that still as strong after 14 years on tour?
A. There was a real moment last year when we announced equal prize pay - winning the world title was of course my goal - and I think just being involved in a sport that believes in equality and believes in sending messages that are far greater than just sport and trophies, to me breathes a whole new life into what I do. It really made me fall in love with chasing world titles again and why I do it and the whole point of winning titles.
Q. So who are the rivals you’ve got to watch out for in your pursuit of an eighth world crown?
A. All of the girls on tour are improving in leaps and bounds every single year. Every event it gets harder and harder. I think this year we’ll see Carissa Moore come back really strong, I know that Courtney Conlogue is very fierce. Of course Lakey (Peterson), we had an incredible battle last year. It was such a cool rivalry to win events and lose events, we were just fighting for that yellow jersey the entire year and I really loved that. And then Caroline Marks, she is really fierce and sharp.
Q. You had a minor mishap before the Boost Mobile Pro last week ... any lingering toe problems?
A. I wish a had a better story for how it happened but dropping a guitar on your toe is hilarious a couple of days before the event started. I think it’s a sign I just need to put down the guitar. All of the surfers deal with small injuries all year long and that’s why we have such a great team around us, to make sure we are healthy and ready to go.
Q. Just back to Layne quickly. How big an influence has she had on your career?
A. Layne has always admired all of the young girls coming through and pushing the boundaries and I’ve just loved everything that she’s done. She has welcomed it with open arms and she’s inspired so many girls around the world to go out there and just set your own limit. She won six world titles in a row and I remember seeing that as a young girl and just thinking ‘gosh, that seems insane’. But I guess it’s possible and to share some time with Layne the other night at the (World Surf League Awards) and we just chatted about how cool to sit alongside each other like this. I love that Layne has represented surfing and not just surfing, but what she does as a female athlete and a powerful woman in so many aspects of her life. It’s really inspired me a lot. I’m a huge fan of Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova and a lot of female athletes that are bigger than their sports. I really love that, it’s inspiring.
Q. Are there any other athletes that have been an inspiration for you?
A. Chelsea Hedges. She was a world champion and when I was a young girl she would take my friends and I surfing and she was always so willing to let us hang out at her house. To be able to hang out with my hero was the coolest thing ever. Lisa Anderson, winning multiple world titles, and her style was beautiful. Mick (Fanning), Joel (Parkinson), Layne for so many titles. Kelly Slater, I could say everybody.
Q. Was there a time or event when you really thought you could make a career out of surfing?
A. Definitely when I was invited to (the Roxy Pro) in 2005 as a wildcard. I won some trials, took some days off school and that was a real moment for me that I thought ‘this is what I can do with my life’. I was 17 then and I think from an earlier age I always knew I wanted to be a pro surfer and be on the world tour and be a world champion, but to win the event as a wildcard was like ‘you can do it’.
Q. The top eight women at the end of this surf season also get automatic Olympic qualification. Is that driving you as well?
A. I’ve watched Cathy Freeman win the gold medal as a young girl and I was so blown away by the idea of dealing with that kind of pressure and build up and to have an entire country watching one race. It’s so wild and I always dreamt about going to the Olympics after that. I never thought as a surfer I would get the chance but to now have that in the vision is really cool. I’d love to represent Australia and win a gold medal. Of course a world title will always be the ultimate for surfers but to qualify for the Olympics you have to be in the running for a world title so it’s kind of like killing two birds with one stone. To go to Japan next year and just be around that Olympic village and vibe and being around athletes I’ve idolised myself would be incredible.
Q. What do you think of the artificial waves that we saw for the first time last year?
A. I think it’s great. They’re really fun to surf, that’s for sure. It will never replace the ocean. The magic of being in the sea and competing in the ocean is always cool because it’s got all these things like ‘will the wave come?’. You don’t get that in the wave pool but you get it in other ways. The pressure moves more onto the actual surfer when you’re not dealing with the ocean. So I think it’s cool, I think it will be great for things like the Olympics and stuff like that. (The weather) is probably the biggest issue that we deal with. Of course (it’s frustrating) but that’s just what we deal with in surfing. That’s the beauty and the beast of what we do.
Q. For most surfers, being on tour would be the dream. Is that what it’s like for you?
A. It can be draining travelling so much but the best part about the surfing and the tour is we have the opportunity to travel and see the world and it gives you an incredible perspective on life. I just did a trip to Mozambique recently and you’re confronted with issues that people deal with on a day-to-day basis that we just take for granted. Those are the moments that I really appreciate because they remind me how wonderful this is to have an opportunity to compete on the world stage and surf waves around the world. It’s so cool. We can get caught up in the drama and everything to do with sport but there’s always a bigger picture for it.
Q. On the flip side, are there times where it does become difficult to constantly be on the road?
A. I’ve always been able to detach from everything. I think for some people it seems really hard but I don’t find it that hard because I know where my home is and I also feel like I’ve made a home with a lot of people and places around the world, so I feel comfortable wherever I go. I don’t really feel like I’m missing anything. I think being present at each location is one of the greatest ingredients to success when you’re on tour for sure, but I see others struggle when they’ve got families. I find it easier to be independent and single and travel around the world and do your thing.
Q. What do you think of the state of the women’s tour at the moment?
A. It’s improving every time. The World Surf League are going above and beyond to make sure they have an awesome team of people working on production, the webcasts, basically how everything is packaged because it’s a business now. I think they’re doing a great job because at the end of the day it’s just about storytelling and letting the fans connect with the athletes the best way they can. We’ve come a long way. And of course we equal prize pay the WSL are breaking barriers left, right and centre to be a leader and set an example for so many other sports and industries around the world.
STEPH GILMORE FACT FILE
Age: 31
Born: Murwillumbah
Lives: Tweed Heads
WSL titles: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2018
Notes:
■ Won first WSL event as a wildcard at the 2005 Roxy Pro Gold Coast
■ Sits level with fellow Australian Layne Beachley on seven world titles
■ Knocked out of season-opening Boost Mobile Pro by Caroline Marks in quarterfinal last week
Coolangatta Gold: Iron champs divided as iconic race cut in half
The Coolangatta Gold, surf lifesaving’s most iconic endurance race, will undergo its most dramatic transformation yet in 2025, leaving past winners divided: Is this race still the Cooly Gold?
Shock call made on future of world surfing tour event
Surfing’s global governing body has made a huge call on the future of the world tour schedule beyond 2028 in the wake of the Gold Coast Pro. Full details here.