Sally Fitzgibbons facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Sally Fitzgibbons |
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| 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 |
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| 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 was ranked number one in the world for women's surfing after winning the Rio Pro event.
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Sally Fitzgibbons' Surfing Journey
Sally Fitzgibbons was born in Gerroa, New South Wales, Australia. She started surfing at a very young age. When she was just 14, Sally won the ASP Pro Junior open event. This competition was for female surfers aged 21 and younger.
Early Achievements and Records
Sally quickly became known for her surfing talent. At 14, she was the youngest surfer to win an Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Pro Junior event. She also came second at the World Qualifying Series (WQS) Billabong Easter Girls Festival on the same day.
She continued to break 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) Under 18 World Surfing Titles in Brazil, where she finished second. The next year, at 16, she won her first World Title at the ISA Under 18 World Titles in Portugal. She followed this up by winning both the Billabong ASP Under 21 World Title and the ISA World Games Open Title.
Joining the World Tour
In 2008, Sally tried to qualify for the elite women's World Surfing Tour. She did this by competing in the World Qualifying Series (WQS). She finished the 2008 WQS series in just the first five events. This made her the youngest surfer ever to qualify for the World Surfing Tour in ASP history.
In 2009, her first year on the World Surfing Tour, Sally finished fifth overall. She also won the Portugal WQS event that year.
Becoming a Top Contender
In 2010, Sally Fitzgibbons was the runner-up in three ASP Women's World Tour events. She finished the year as the second-best surfer in the world, just behind Stephanie Gilmore.
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, Australia. A week later, on 30 April 2011, she won her second ASP World Tour event in New Zealand, again defeating Carissa Moore. These wins made her the world's top-ranked female surfer.
In August 2011, Sally won her third ASP World Tour event, the US Open of Surf in California. She finished the 2011 season as the runner-up to Carissa Moore for the World Title.
In February 2012, Sally won the first-ever Australian Open. This meant she held both the US and Australian Open of Surf titles at the same time.
Awards and Continued Success
On 23 February 2012, Sally won three awards at the ASP World Surfing Awards. She was recognized for being the runner-up in the 2011 World Tour. She and Carissa Moore also won the Women's ASP Heat of the Year award, voted by their fellow surfers. Finally, she won the ASP Surfers' Surfer award, which is a special award given by other surfers.
In 2012, Sally continued her winning streak. She won the Hunter Ports Women's Classic in Australia. She also had back-to-back wins at the Rip Curl Pro at Bells Beach, beating four-time world champion Stephanie Gilmore in the final. In May 2012, she won the Billabong Rio Pro in Brazil.
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 a female surfer.
Sally at the Tokyo Olympics
Sally Fitzgibbons qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in 2019. She finished in the top eight on the WSL World Tour that year. At the Olympics, she reached the quarterfinal but lost to Amuro Tsuzuki of Japan. She finished in 5th place and did not compete for a medal.
Major Career Victories
| 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 also a talented athlete in other sports. She was a national champion in middle-distance running, winning gold medals in the 800m and 1500m at the 2007 Youth Olympics. She also played touch football and soccer.
As a sports fan, Sally supports the National Rugby League team, the St George Illawarra Dragons. She also follows the Australian Football League team, the Geelong Cats. Her favorite players are Joel Selwood and Patrick Dangerfield.
See also
In Spanish: Sally Fitzgibbons para niños
