Molly Picklum has had herself a helluva year. Photo: Red Bull
Molly Picklum was destined to be a world champion. It was never a question of if, but when. The New South Wales surfer had a rocky rookie season, falling short of the mid-season cutline and finding herself back on the Challenger Series after just five events. Not to be deterred, Picklum surfed well and re-earned her spot on the 2023 Dream Tour. That year, there were no questions about whether the 20-year-old belonged.
In 2023, Picklum won the second event of the season at Sunset, marking her first Championship Tour win. She surfed strong all year, earning herself a spot in the WSL Finals. In the first heat, she was defeated by Caity Simmers, rounding out the season in fifth. In 2024, she had a similar year, once again winning Sunset, and ultimately making it to the Finals, again ending the year in fifth.
But 2025 was Picklum’s season. She surfed well for the first half of the year, but the second act was where she shined. She locked in a second at Trestles, won in Rio, finished second at J-Bay, and won in Tahiti. She went into the WSL Finals wearing the yellow jersey and the title, it seemed, was hers for the taking. Matched up with an on-fire Caroline Marks in the championship showdown at the end, Picklum fumbled the first heat but dominated the next two and secured her first world title. So what will 2026 look like? I spoke with the champ about everything that led to her first title, asked her about her biggest rival on tour, and got the lowdown on the game plan for when the season kicks off at Bells in just under a week.
Yeah, it doesn’t get much sweeter than winning at Cloudbreak. Photo: Ed Sloane//World Surf League
You had such a dominant season from start to finish last year. Did you change anything from the year before?
I changed my mindset. I was constantly working on ways to set myself free from the narratives in my head and made sure that I really believed that I could achieve it. And then I did step away from my long-term coach (Glenn “Micro” Hall). I wanted a clean slate. I felt like I’d done so much with him, and he taught me so much – I just wanted to go and show what I’d learned and be open to learning more.
What did your off-season training look like leading up to the 2025 season?
It was an interesting off-season because I was injured the entire time. My whole pre-season was rehabbing at the Institute of Sports in Sydney. I was working with physios and trainers, making sure my body was good. I was doing everything that I could in the gym because I wasn’t able to be in the water. I could swim, but I couldn’t do anything on my (broken) foot.
Give us a snapshot of last season for us.
Any change is scary, even if it’s exciting, so I just committed, trusting in my team and myself to step out on my own and go for it. That was something I was really proud of. Tahiti and Brazil, my wins I was really proud of. But all in all, I was just really proud of the way I kept showing up all season. And then winning the world title is obviously a huge highlight.
Do you have a favorite stop on tour? Ha, or least favorite?
I love variety and I love change, so I don’t have a favorite. But if I had to pick one, Portugal has good food and good waves most of the time. Brazil, I love the energy there, and obviously getting barreled is epic, so any stop with a barrel.
Least favorite: It’s tough when you have to get on a few planes and travel for 48 hours, so any really far ones. El Salvador, I like the place, the food’s not the greatest, and it’s really hot for me, so maybe El Salvador. The one that intimidates me the most is probably Pipeline or Tahiti.
But you seem pretty fearless in heavy waves. How do you have the confidence to charge when it’s scary?
Obviously, I have fear, but I like to play the game and dance with it a little bit. I think it’s trial and error. I don’t just throw myself in with no thought, but I love to just try and see. Experience and exposure, that’s how I get confidence.
Ok, so who would you say is your biggest rival on tour?
I think Caity Simmers, because she’s pushing the same sort of surfing that I am. Her surfing is the X factor. She’s well-rounded, and it’s always a bit of fireworks every time we come up against each other. And then we both have a world title. If I had to say one, I’d say Caity, but I think the whole next generation are kind of going to be rivals.
Right, you guys have completely upped the intensity on the women’s side. How do you keep your composure amongst all the stress?
I think just focusing on my focus points: Things I want to do, things I want to improve on, and the way I want to show up. In those moments where there tends to be distractions, I just zone in on my world and what’s in front of me and let everyone else take care of themselves. It’s just awareness, checking in, and a lot of self-talk.
Walk us through WSL Finals day. What happened in that first heat and how did you turn things around?
Finals day was obviously a big day. My first heat I was probably a little too excited to just get surfing rather than competing and making smart decisions. When I came in (after the first loss to Simmers), I said to our team that I was devastated, but it’s not over yet, and I didn’t do anything I wanted to, so let me just do a little bit of what I’d planned to do in the first heat. Let’s just try to get a little bit of the plan going and succeed in the plan. Once everything started to go to plan, it was a snowball effect, and I kind of just ran away with it.
What is it like going from a grom with a dream to being a world champion?
It’s really hard for me to fathom because I think I still have so much youth and young energy in me. But it’s a trip, you reach the pinnacle of something in your life, it’s a weird feeling. It’s like what now? But life continues, and you decide there are so many things you want to improve on, so you keep going. It’s a really interesting contrast to think about going from grom with a dream to being a world champion – I think it’s the coolest full circle moment ever.
Turn of the year from Picklum during her 2024 win at Sunset. Photo: Tony Heff//World Surf League
How has your off-season been leading up to this year? It’s been a long one.
It’s been really good. I’ve been able to enjoy things in my life, surfing and friends. It’s been a really wholesome and holistic approach, not just prioritizing surfing and putting the rest of my life on hold. I’m not leaving parts of me behind to make sure that I’m ready for this tour. I trust that I’m ready.
Do you feel pressure to defend your title?
No, I don’t feel pressure, but I see a great opportunity to defend my title. I’m on tour, there’s got to be a world champion, and you’ve got to be in it to win it, so why not me?
What’s your game plan?
My game plan is to enjoy getting back on tour and into it since it’s been so long. Just constantly trying to put my best foot forward throughout the entire season, enjoy all the different locations and the things that come with that, and ultimately be in a world title position come Pipeline. And then let Pipeline do its thing, and hopefully I come out on top!
