Tahiti Pro champ Picklum stood up to wave that beat her down

World No.1 ranked surfer and New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS) scholarship holder Molly Picklum overcame waves that she said can ‘humble’ competitors to comprehensively win the coveted Tahiti Pro in Teahupo’o.

Picklum, from the NSW Central Coast, outpointed archrival and reigning world champion, Caitlin Simmers, with a total heat score of 17.26. Picklum will now contest the WSL Finals in Fiji from August 27-September 4.

While Simmers joked she was ‘under the water for most of the final’ after a dramatic wipe out early in the contest, Picklum expressed her sympathy for the American, saying, ‘the poor girl was so buggered at the end there.’

Picklum and Simmers will be joined in the women’s final by Gabriela Bryan, Caroline Marks and Sakura Johnson.

The 22-year-old from Terrigal told Today winning the title was the ‘best day of her life’ – but she insisted the powerful waves at Teahupo’o need to be respected.

“I’ve always dreamt of winning [it]  and to actually have done that was incredible . . . definitely the best day of my life,” she said.

“I think that’s why it’s so special for me to win . . . it’s so scary to take off on any wave. To do that in a heat, and to do it for your country and your rankings is so cool to do it in the critical moments.

“This wave it beats you down and humbles you for sure, in the warmups leading up to this day I had a bunch of warmups and broke all of my good boards.  

“The locals fixed my board  . . .  you get smashed, you get tired, you get strained muscles, all that stuff, and turn up and – I don’t know – you put it on the line for the big day.”

NSWIS Manager, Performance Health Sean Cooney, who worked with Picklum on behalf of Surfing Australia when she competed in El Salvador earlier this year, said he was glued to the television as she conquered the waves throughout the tournament.

“I was so stoked to watch her compete throughout the whole event,” said Cooney.

“My whole family and I were screaming in the kitchen when she came out of that barrel in the quarters in the dying minutes to beat Vahine Fierro.

“To be surfing at a level where Molly can basically throw away an eight point ride in the final demonstrates how ‘dialed in’ she is at the moment. It’s special to see. She works so hard and is so focused, and it’s great to see it paying off for her . . .

“What a legend!”

Daniel Lane, NSWIS