Thus far, it’s been two heats and two losses for Gilmore. Photo: Hannah Anderson//WSL
The rookies have been struggling with the Championship Tour’s new first-round elimination format, but it’s not just the newcomers who haven’t found their footing. An all-time great has been impacted, too. In what looks like a typo, scan the women’s CT rankings and you’ll see the eight-time champ, Steph Gilmore, at the very bottom.
Gilmore lost her round-one heat at Bells to Luana Silva, only scrounging together a 6.1 heat total. Then, at Margaret River, she lost a nail-biter to Erin Brooks by less than three-tenths of a point. She’s surfed two heats that resulted in two losses.
Tour veteran Liam O’Brien told The Inertia that the rookies would be the most challenged by the lack of a non-elimination round — a format change the WSL implemented in 2026. But, by the same logic, it could also affect a seasoned surfer like Gilmore, who has taken the past two seasons off from the tour. Gilmore’s management declined to give me any deets when I asked how the new format has felt for her thus far.
Just as with the rookies, it may take a few events for her to shake off the competition rust, and the Gold Coast is the right place to do it. The 38-year-old has won at Snapper Rocks six times dating back to 2005.
Gilmore has said she’s competing for a title, but she doesn’t feel any pressure to perform.
“I have a lot of expectations for myself, but to be honest, I kind of feel like there’s no pressure on me,” Gilmore told Wide World of Sports. “Anything from here on out is a bonus. I always want to put on a good performance and do my very best surfing in every heat. Of course, the whole reason why we do the tour is to win world titles.”
After winning at Margaret River, veteran Lakey Peterson alluded to the fact that there’s a lot of talk about the new school of women on tour, but said her win was a statement that the old guard is still here and competing (note that Carissa Moore, who’s also mounting a comeback after time off, sits in ninth). Gilmore has a chance to back up Peterson’s claim and claw her way up the rankings on the Gold Coast.
The champ will have a rematch with Brooks in round 1 at Snapper. Brooks, who won a Challenger Series event at Snapper with a perfect 10-point ride, won’t be an easy draw in the first round. But if anyone has the track record to do it, Gilmore’s experience at the sand-bottom right-hander is unparalleled.
The Gold Coast Pro window runs from May 1-11.
