"I have goals and dreams that I am still chasing – I’m excited for something fresh this year," says Stephanie Gilmore.
It ain’t a surprise to anyone who breezes through BeachGrit because, as predicted three days ago, eight-time world champ Stephanie Gilmore has stepped away from the pro tour, ostensibly for one year, likely forever.
Stephanie Gilmore, who turns thirty-six in one week, and who won her first world title in her rookie year of 2007, follows the five-time champ Carissa Moore into the sunset. Moore will surf her last WSL event Pipe but will defend her Olympic title at Teahupoo in July.
Stephanie Gilmore made the announcement on Instagram, telling her seven-hundred thousand followers.
“I am planning to take this tour season off as a refresh for myself physically, mentally, and to enjoy following swells and free surfing in new places,” Gilmore writes.”I have some projects and trips I want to do, which haven’t been possible while traveling for the tour season. I am still passionate and dedicated to competing, and I have goals and dreams that I am still chasing – I’m excited for something fresh this year and I look forward to returning to competition in 2025.”
The zenith for Stephanie Gilmore’s career came in 2022 when she dominated Finals Day, starting in fifth place, mowing through all-comers before beating Carissa Moore in the winner-take-all surf-off.
A win for the ages, although Stephanie Gilmore was conflicted by the result, even as it gave her the record for most female world surf titles.
“I’d only ever won titles in the other fashion where you accumulate points through the season and the winner at the end is who has the most points,” Stephanie Gilmore said. “In this fashion you just try and make the top five and on the very final day the world’s best battle it out and that moment crowns a world champion. You could have a bad day and Carissa just wasn’t on that day. A big part of me still thinks the world champion should be crowned over all the different conditions, surfing is about being able to compete in all different kinds of waves and being successful all through the year.”
View this post on Instagram
Always nice to keep the door ajar, like, gonna come back in 2025 all fresh and hot and ooowee, but y’think Gilmore gonna return in her thirty-eighth year? Or she done for good?
Commented on Disqus? Log out, tap the Disqus button, and your old name and comments come back. The box is ours.
Your comments are still here. Every one of them.
Twelve years of BeachGrit comments came across from Disqus. Connect and we will show you how many are yours. We get your username, nothing else.
Connect Disqus to reveal.
Your door is a jar
Your door is a jar
– my friend’s mom’s Oldsmobile when I was a kid
BEST FEMALE SURFER EVER LIVES IN HAWAII …AND HER NAME IS CARISSA MOORE
Derek and chas call everyone the world’s best surfer in the hope that they’ll do a podcast with them.
Tic Tic Tic goes the biological clock. Steph gonna be poppin sumpin out and it won’t be a Hamsammish.
oh man – I’m going to use this on my friends!
She’s having a gap year.
Ok surf journalists, when does the WSL’s clause to prevent you from surfing unaccredited comps expire? Say if you have retired, can you go join a rebel tour?
I wish you guys would make up your mind who the world’s best surfer is, it changes every couple of days!
https://youtu.be/o-cb0IIWQa…
Replace Johnny with Jimmy and sing along
Fucking epic. Go Steph!!!
I’d have thought Brontë would have got the spot as she’s the next on the rankings. Sophie has leapfrogged from 11th on the CS to land on the CT.
yeah it does seem weird that Bronte misses out when she is next in line
Filing them into a point?
Maple doughnut, or Maple bar.
Which is better?
Rib eye steak.
Always the answer.
I feel like this was a veiled New Hampshire reference that I just couldn’t figure out.
No move in surfing comes moore underscored but more widely adored than the Highline.
I wish both them both Moore and more luck.
Not with Pipe and Chopes on the schedule.
Early 2000’s schedule she could go on forever.
There’s some wisdom to this, also.
Steph never signed up for Chopes.
She’s straight, and doesn’t have that angry chip on her shoulder vibe. Why take the risks, if that’s not the kind of surfing she ever wanted to do? Retiring in good physical shape is lucky for any athlete. What’s there for a grownup to prove, at this point?
She’ll get smoked by the
youngens if she goes back. She’s over it I think
Bohoo. Rip Curl paid for her to spend lockdown on Tavarua, she’ll live.
Hope Tyler can process this.
Yeah and fuck right off
So now that neither Carissa or Steph are competing next season, does either one of them burn the WSL house down on the way out the door by leaking the circumstances of the ELo firing?
Reason, pipe and chopes
wow how smart is Steph , she’s our Queen of surfing , and she is gracefully and with a huge touch of class….announces her…..”semi” retirement……..which hopefully she has negotiated with Roxy to still be paid and set herself up….and 2 years to do it!!
Go Steph!!
I think she would be set up by now,surely.
Like super smart.