Molly Picklum names surfboard after her hero Ash Barty

Named after her hero Ash Barty it’s the surfboard Molly Picklum hopes to ride all the way to gold, but the Wimbledon champion is playing an even bigger role in the young surfer’s Olympic quest.

Two of the great champions of world sport are riding with Molly Picklum in her quest to win Olympic gold.

Wimbledon champion Ash Barty and 11-time world champion Kelly Slater are supporting Picklum on her meteoric rise.

Barty has been mentoring the Australian surfing prodigy. During the WSL’s Portugal event last year, Picklum competed with BARTY stamped on her singlet and even calls one of her boards “Ash Barty”.

The greatest surfer of all time could play an even bigger role after helping piece together the blueprint that could propel Picklum to an Olympic gold medal at the dangerous Teahupo’o break in Tahiti.

Australia Molly Picklum is a favourite to win Olympic gold. Picture: Brian Bielmann / AFP

When the Australian’s coach Glenn Hall started working with Slater this year, she had no idea it would open the door for a deeper insight into how he became a master of Teahupo’o.

Hall has been part of Slater’s coaching team throughout this season, providing advice in and out of competition on the world tour.

Slater, 52, has won a record 11 world titles and has a record five tour victories at Teahupo’o.

Only two months ago, Picklum, a 21-year-old from the Central Coast of NSW, was sitting in the channel at Teahupo’o while Hall watched Kelly compete at the Tahiti Pro.

He also called her into one of the waves of her life while free surfing after the event.

“There are certain spots on the reef that are huge in terms of your success,” Picklum said of Slater’s key advice.

US surfer Kelly Slater has been providing advice to Picklum. Picture: Jerome Brouillet / AFP

Ash Barty is supporting Picklum on her rise. Picture: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

“You can see only a handful of people on tour know the spots and he does. That is a really key point that I’m holding on to for my success there.

“The day after competition I really got to see Kelly work his magic.

“The other thing was the feel he has for each wave. You can see he takes off and just goes off feelings and reacts.”

Hall said Picklum had benefited from learning about the finer details of one of the world’s heaviest waves.

“It’s been good for Molly to watch and learn off the GOAT and be in that same space and same energy,” Hall said

“Everyone’s clearly in awe of what Kelly Slater does. There are two reefs at Teahupo’o, a second one and an inside one. They call it the back ledge and inside ledge.

“You can play between the two and I don’t think anyone knows how to do that better than Kelly.

“It was cool after the Tahiti Pro (in May) to watch him getting waves off both and see how he moves between them.

“Everyone else just sits in the one spot on the line-up and Kelly can use this whole other space.”

Originally published as Molly Picklum names surfboard after her hero Ash Barty