In surfing it doesn’t get much closer than the margin by which Sunny Coaster Sophie McCulloch qualified for the 2023 World Championship Tour last weekend in Hawaii.
After winning the Haleiwa Challenger in hard-charging style in seriously challenging North Shore waves, the relatively unknown 22-year-old uni student from Alexandra Headland moved up four places to take the fifth and final slot above the qualifying line for next year’s women’s tour ahead of Portugal’s Teresa Bonvalot on the basis of having won more heats throughout the Challenger Series.
Both surfers finished the seven-event qualifying series on 25,490 points from their four best results – a first, two thirds and a ninth, but Sophie won more heats to get there. Unexpected joy from one competitor, tears for the other.
The goofy-footer Bonvalot, who finished third at Haleiwa after a gutsy display on the big, gnarly rights, was gracious in defeat, but broke down and wept during a podium interview.
Gathering herself, she said quietly: “It was not my time.”
Sophie, on the other hand, seemed to grow in confidence as she progressed through quarters and semis to reach the final, where (we knew but she didn’t) she needed to win and have Teresa finish no higher than third to qualify. With local girl Bettylou Sakura Johnson in brilliant form on her home break, it seemed it was destined to come agonisingly close but not close enough. But who knew that Sophie would dig so deep and surf Haleiwa’s tricky sections like she’d been doing it all her life.
With less than 10 minutes to go she had all but wrapped up the win, with Bettylou needing a perfect 10 to catch her. But the danger was Teresa who, after a slow start, had found her rhythm. She jumped from fourth to third and was dangerously close to qualification.
The door opened a little in the last minutes as Sophie used her priority to take a wave, leaving Teresa unguarded. But no wave came.
A nail-biting and famous victory, and Sophie couldn’t hide her delight when she climbed onto the back of water reporter Strider Wasilewski’s jet ski for a ride to the beach.
But she didn’t know she’d qualified. It wasn’t until her supporters came running to the water’s edge to chair her to the podium that she finally understood – she was in the five
The humble and hardworking biomedical science student spoke eloquently at the beach presentations, thanking her supporters and coach, everyone’s mate and former longboard star Grant Thomas, while commiserating with the girls who just missed the cut.
It was an impressive start to her rookie year in the dream tour limelight, but when asked about her upcoming debut in the New Year at the Banzai Pipeline, she responded honestly. “I’m trying not to think about it – I’m so scared!”
In the men’s event finals day was dominated by the return to his best of injury-plagued superstar John-John Florence, who surfed brilliantly on home turf, seeming to toy with the heavy-breaking waves as he notched up near-perfect scores.
Ryan Callinan was the top-finishing Australian, surfing superbly to reach the final where he was outclassed by a rampaging Florence, finishing fourth and improving his qualifying position to second on the list of 10 above the cut-line.
RyCal will make a welcome return to the WCT next year, as will the Gold Coast’s Liam O’Brien who finished ninth in the rankings despite an early exit at Haleiwa.
It was poetic justice for Liam, who qualified at Haleiwa a year ago but missed the 2022 WCT after a serious injury in the warm-up at Pipeline. Not so lucky were Dylan Moffit, Morgan Cibilic and Jacob Willcox, who threatened at Haleiwa but finished just below the cut.
Full list of Challenger Series qualifiers for the 2023 World Surf League Championship Tour:
Mens: 1) Leonardo Fioravanti (Italy), 2) Ryan Callinan (NSW), 3) Rio Waida (Indonesia), 4) Maxime Huscenot (France), 5) Ramzi Boukhiam (Morocco), 6) Michael Rodrigues (Brazil), 6) Ian Gentil (Hawaii), 8) Joao Chianca (Brazil), 9) Liam O’Brien (Qld), 10) Ezekiel Lau (Hawaii).
Womens: 1) Bettylou Sakura Johnson (Hawaii), 2) Macy Callaghan (NSW), 3) Molly Picklum (NSW), 4) Caitlin Simmons (USA), 5) Sophie McCulloch (Qld).
Coco shines at Cylinders
Meanwhile, at the Woolworths Australian Juniors at Cylinders Beach on North Stradbroke Island, Tewantin’s Coco Cairns led the girls’ onslaught to produce some amazing moves on finals day and take out the prestigious Under 18 division, thereby qualifying to represent Australia at next year’s ISA World Juniors alongside boys’ Under 18 winner Harley Walters of Angourie.
Coco capped off a great last year as a junior and was lost for words when asked about her win in and making the 2023 National team.
“I’m stoked, it’s sick,” she said.
But she wasn’t the only stoked Noosa girl on the beach.
Sunshine Beach’s Eliza Richardson was the Under 14 Girls winner.
She said: “It felt really good because I was nervous and against really hard competitors, but yeah, I’m stoked to win.” Sister Rosie finished third.
NSW and Queensland dominated the competition with all six new Australian champions hailing from the two states, and Queensland, captained by Noosa’s Ben Lorentson, topping the points tally for the first time in 22 years.
More on the boys next week.
