By Billie Eder and Dan Walsh
Australian prodigy Molly Picklum has emerged as one of the best visiting surfers to Hawaii in recent times after she reclaimed the world No.1 ranking and successfully defended her Sunset Beach crown.
Just two weeks after she rode a perfect 10 at Pipeline – the first ever ridden by a woman – 21-year-old Picklum kept up her phenomenal form with a 9.67 wave on her way to a final against rising local star Bettylou Sakura Johnson, with a manoeuvre rarely attempted – let alone successfully executed – in world surfing.
Australian Molly Picklum has reclaimed the world No.1 ranking after an epic stint in Hawaii. Credit: WSL
The move – which got surfing fans more excited than the win itself – saw Picklum’s board leave the water, allowing her to freefall from the top of the wave leaving an avalanche of whitewater behind her. Commentators suggested it was one of the most significant moves in the event’s history.
Picklumjoins an exclusive club of women who have gone back-to-back at the pro event, which includes compatriots Layne Beachley, Pam Burridge and Jodie Cooper.
“I didn’t think that stuff’s possible [back-to-back], like what?” an incredulous Picklum said. “It’s just like, you can’t predict it, Sunset’s crazy. This goes right up there for me, for sure.”
Picklum’s Sunset Beach win came before fellow Australian Jack Robinson claimed the men’s title to surge to No.2 in the world rankings.
With a double barrel in the final against Japan’s Kanoa Igarashi, Robinson posted a 9.87 – his highest score of the competition – along with an 8.17 for an impressive combined score of 18.04 to win his sixth career title.
“I’m kind of just still soaking in it, so you don’t always have the words to describe it, but it’s such a special feeling. I’m really grateful,” Robinson said.
“I know the year didn’t start out like I’d planned at Pipe, but better late than never, start it now.”
Robinson’s double-barrel ride proved too good for Igarashi, who posted a solid 7.83 and 7.33 in the final.
Australia’s Jack Robinson has claimed his first Sunset Beach title. Credit: WSL
Earlier, Johnson, who remained winless against Picklum heading into the final, was a victim of the conditions, with waves flattening out towards the end of the final when she only needed a middling score to prevail. Picklum won by just 3.16 after posting a combined score of 11.83 compared to Johnson’s 8.67.
That fact wasn’t lost on Picklum, who said the luck had been with her on the day.
“What a moment, defending a title is just so hard in our sport. The ocean is in charge,” she said. “Obviously Bettylou had such a good wave, that’s why it’s scary, she’s so capable of them in her sleep. The ocean has played the part for me, and I’m really, really, really happy it did that.”
Raised on slabby Central Coast breaks, Picklum is proving a force to be reckoned with on Hawaii’s North Shore. Despite just one full season on the World Tour (she was a victim of the mid-year cut in 2022), Picklum has now won the Sunset Pro twice in as many attempts, and dominated at Pipeline as well.
The first breakthrough win of her career came at the famous Pipe Masters event in 2022, which she backed up with a second-placed finish in December. Her recent final loss at Pipeline against Caity Simmers came after her perfect 10, which has been highlighted by greats of the sport – including Stephanie Gilmore – as a pivotal moment in women’s surfing history.
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