Aussie Isabella Nichols has defied the odds to win her first-ever event on the World Surf League tour and scrape above the brutal cut-line at the Margaret River Pro.
It was a day to remember all-round for the Aussies, with WA local Jack Robinson stunning tour heavyweight John John Florence to become the first Aussie man to win the event since 1989.
Nichols came into Margaret River sitting in equal 12th spot on the rankings and needed to win the entire event in order to survive the mid-season cut, which had already claimed the likes of Sally Fitzgibbons, India Robinson and Molly Picklum.
In the semis, Nichols comfortably defeated fellow Aussie Bronte Macaulay, who also needed to win the event to stay on tour.
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Moving into the final against Gabriela Bryan, the stakes couldn’t have been higher.
Both women started slowly but it was Nichols who was able to master the offshore wind and record scores of 6.17 and 6.77.
It proved enough to not only win the event and remain on tour but for Nichols to soar into fourth place on the rankings, meaning she’s on track to qualify for the WSL Finals.
An emotional Nichols struggled for words after her victory.
“I don’t feel like this moment is real right now. I’ve dreamt about this my whole life,” she said afterwards.
“For this to actually be happening right now, I feel like I’m still in bed at home, asleep. It’ll take me a while to digest it.
“There is no better feeling than this in the whole world.
“I’m just speechless.”
Robinson had already done enough to avoid relegation but his win in the men’s event will give him huge confidence as the tour progresses and the competition becomes fiercer.
The win at Margaret River was Robinson’s second on the tour, following on from his triumph in Mexico last year. He now sits third in the rankings.
“Just happy to get the waves,” Robinson said afterwards.
“So many hours, so much time, so when you win like this, it’s just really special.
“I’m just so grateful.”
Nichols joins fellow Aussies Tyler Wright and Stephanie Gillmore in progressing to the next phase of the tour.
Robinson, Callum Robson, Ethan Ewing, Connor O’Leary and Jackson Baker are the Aussie men to have survived the cut.
Earlier on Wednesday, Olympic bronze medallist Owen Wright’s cut from the World Surf League Championship Tour was confirmed as quarter-final results ensured the veteran would have to fight his way back through the Challenger Tour.
While Wright lost his heat in the round of 32 on Monday, he had been a chance to avoid relegation if other results fell his way.
But when South Africa’s Matt McGillivray defeated Brazilian Samuel Pupo in the round of 16 on Wednesday morning, he claimed the last spot above the cut-line and booted 32-year-old Wright out.
“For me, I don’t want to be having any long-term thoughts just yet. I’ll try and be kind to myself over the next few days,” Wright said on Tuesday.
“I’ve got a lot of life outside the tour, wife, kids, so whatever I do it will be a family decision. We’ll go through the motions of what’s next.”
The WSL introduced the cut to ensure the smooth running of events later in the season and with the hope it would help surfing superstars to face off more frequently.