Sally Fitzgibbons facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Sally Fitzgibbons |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Personal information | |
| Born | 19 December 1990 Gerroa, New South Wales |
| Residence | Gerroa, New South Wales |
| Height | 170 cm (5 ft 7 in) |
| Weight | 62 kg (137 lb) |
| Surfing career | |
| Best year | 2010, 2011, 2012 – World Title Runner-up |
| Career earnings | $1,017,750.00 |
| Sponsors | Town & Country Surfboards(Pang), Breitling, Boost Mobile, Accor Hotels, FCS traction and fins, Devika.com, Almond Breeze |
| Major achievements |
|
| Surfing specifications | |
| Stance | Regular (natural foot) |
Sally Fitzgibbons (born 19 December 1990) is an Australian professional surfer. She competed on the Association of Surfing Professionals World Tour from 2009 to 2013. In June 2019, she became the number one ranked female surfer in the world after winning the Rio Pro event.
Contents
Sally Fitzgibbons' Surfing Journey
Sally Fitzgibbons was born in Gerroa, New South Wales, Australia. She started surfing when she was very young. At just 14, Sally won the ASP Pro Junior open event. This competition was for any female surfer aged 21 and younger.
She also won the Icon All-Girls Open Event in Lennox Head in 2006 when she was 16. Sally was a talented athlete in many sports. She represented her state and Australia in athletics, touch football, soccer, surfing, and cross-country running. She even won gold medals in the 800m and 1500m at the 2007 Australian Youth Olympic Festival.
Early Achievements in Surfing
Sally had her first big surfing successes at age 14. She became the youngest surfer to win an Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Pro Junior (Under 21s) event. On the same day, she also placed second at the World Qualifying Series (WQS) Billabong Easter Girls Festival.
She kept breaking records as a junior surfer. She won the Australasian Pro Junior Series in both 2007 and 2008. At 15, Sally represented Australia at the International Surfing Association (ISA) U18 World Surfing Titles in Brazil, finishing second. A year later, at 16, she went to Portugal for the ISA U18 World Titles and won her first World Title. The next year, she won both the Billabong ASP U21 World Title and the ISA World Games Open Title.
In 2008, Sally tried to join the elite World Surfing Tour. She set a new record by qualifying in just the first five events of the WQS series. This made her the youngest World Surfing Tour qualifier in ASP history. She also won the junior women's world surfing championship at North Narrabeen beach.
Rising Through the Ranks
In 2009, Sally finished fifth on the World Surfing Tour in her first year. She also won the Portugal WQS event.
The year 2010 was great for Sally. She finished second in three ASP Women's World Tour events. She ended the year as the runner-up to Stephanie Gilmore for the 2010 ASP Women's World Title.
On 23 April 2011, Sally won her first ASP World Tour event. She beat Carissa Moore in the final of the Rip Curl Women's Pro at Bells Beach. Just a week later, on 30 April 2011, she won her second ASP World Tour event. Again, she defeated Carissa Moore in the final of the Subaru Pro in Taranaki, New Zealand. These wins made her the world's top-ranked female surfer.
In August 2011, Sally won her third ASP World Tour event. She beat Lakey Peterson in the final of the US Open of Surf in California, USA. She finished the 2011 season as runner-up to Carissa Moore for the World Title. In 2011, Sally also won the 6-Star Swatch Girls Pro France event.
Continued Success and Awards
In February 2012, Sally won the first-ever Australian Open. She defeated 2004 World Champion Sofia Mulanovich. This meant Sally was the first person to hold both the US and Australian Open of Surf titles at the same time.
On 23 February 2012, Sally won three awards at the 2012 ASP World Surfing Awards. She was recognized for being runner-up in the 2011 World Tour. She and Carissa Moore won the Women's ASP Heat of the Year, voted by other surfers. She also won the ASP Surfers' Surfer award, which is a special award given by her fellow competitors.
On 17 March 2012, Sally won the 6-star Hunter Ports Women's Classic event. This was during Surfest at Merewether Beach, Newcastle, Australia. She defeated Malia Manuel in the final. In April 2012, Sally won the Rip Curl Pro at Bells Beach, Australia, for the second year in a row. She beat four-time world champion Stephanie Gilmore in the final. On 13 May 2012, Sally won the Billabong Rio Pro in Brazil, competing against Coco Ho in the final.
In June 2021, Sally won a gold medal at the ISA World Games in El Salvador. This was her fourth ISA Gold medal and her third ISA World Title, which is the most held by any female surfer. This win was important as it was a final qualifying event for the Olympics.
Sally at the Tokyo Olympics
Sally Fitzgibbons qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in 2019. She did this by finishing in the top eight on the WSL World Tour that year. At the Olympics, she competed in the quarterfinal but lost to Amuro Tsuzuki from Japan. She finished in 5th place and did not compete for a medal.
Major Career Victories
Sally has won many important surfing events. Here are some of her wins on the ASP/WSL Women's World Tour:
| ASP/WSL Women's World Tour Wins | |||
| Year | Event | Venue | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Rip Curl Women's Pro | Bells Beach, Victoria |  Australia |
| 2011 | Subaru Pro TSB Bank Women's Surf Festival | Taranaki |  New Zealand |
| 2011 | US Open of Surfing | Huntington Beach, California |  United States |
| 2012 | Rip Curl Women's Pro | Bells Beach, Victoria | Australia |
| 2012 | Billabong Rio Pro | Rio de Janeiro |  Brazil |
| 2013 | Roxy Pro France | Hossegor |  France |
| 2014 | Billabong Pro Brazil | Rio de Janeiro | Brazil |
| 2014 | Fiji Pro | Tavarua |  Fiji |
| 2015 | Fiji Pro | Tavarua | Fiji |
| 2017 | Drug Aware Margaret River Pro | Margaret River, Western Australia | Australia |
| 2019 | Oi Rio Pro | Rio de Janeiro | Brazil |
| 2021 | Rottnest Island Pro Ripcurl Search | Rottnest Island, Western Australia | Australia |
Other Sports and Interests
Before becoming a professional surfer, Sally Fitzgibbons was a talented athlete in other sports. She was a national champion in middle-distance running, winning races like the 800m and 1500m. She also won gold medals in both these events at the 2007 Youth Olympics.
Sally also played touch football and soccer. She is a third cousin of former Socceroos goalkeeper Mark Bosnich.
As a sports fan, Sally supports the National Rugby League team, the St George Illawarra Dragons. She also loves Australian Football League and follows the Geelong Cats. Her favorite players are Joel Selwood and Patrick Dangerfield.
See also
In Spanish: Sally Fitzgibbons para niños
