The Australian has continued her dominance of the surfing ranks this year and is closing in on a fourth consecutive world title. Gilmore has led the 2010 title race since the very first round with victory at Snapper Rocks on the Gold Coast. She has won three of the six events this year and with two remaining this year, leads fellow Australian Sally Fitzgibbons by more than 900 points. In fact, such as has been her consistency this year, a win at the next round of the women’s world surfing tour in Puerto Rico next month will secure the crown. She would still be short of the achievements of fellow Australian, Layne Beachley, who won the first six of her unprecedented seven world titles consecutively but Gilmore, who reportedly learnt to surf after standing on a bodyboard at the age of 10, has made no secret of her wish to one day topple the surfing legend’s record. She raised eyebrows ahead of her debut season when she predicted she could win 10 world titles but she has lived up to the hype, winning the title for the first time in her rookie year in 2007. The 22 year old was touted as a surfing prodigy very early in her career and it is said that competing for waves along the Gold Coast beaches helped shape a strong competitive edge which she has exploited to dominate the women’s ranks in recent years. This year, becoming the first Australian to win a Laureus Award since 2004, taking out the action sportsperson of 2009 title. Australia’s tradition of preeminance in the women’s surfing ranks stretching from South African import Wendy Botha in the late 1980s and into the 1990s to Beachley and now Gilmore also looks likely to continue with 19 year old Fitzgibbons already staking her mark this year.
Julian Trantino
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