Australian surfer Molly Picklum has posted the first perfect score of her career but has fallen to American Caitlin Simmers in the final of the World Surf League season-opening Pipe Pro in Hawaii.
The 21-year-old Picklum nailed a 10 in her epic semi-final win over local Bettylou Sakura Johnson, which was widely rated as the best ever women’s heat on the Championship Tour.
But Picklum was unable to back up that performance in the decider, with 18-year-old Californian Simmers continuing her dominance over the NSW surfer, with their head-to-head record now at four-nil.
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Picklum, who will represent Australia at this year’s Olympics, posted the top score in the final, opening with a 9.27 and only needed 3.39 to regain the lead with plenty of time left on the clock.
But after dialling up barrels all competition, Picklum, who won the Pipe Masters Invitational in 2022, couldn’t find the winning wave, with her tally of 10.64 short of Simmers’ 12.66.
With Johnson also only 18 years old and with the likes of eight-time world champion Stephanie Gilmore and Hawaiian great Carissa Moore taking the year off, it marked a shift to the new generation.
“Pipeline is for the f***ing girls,” a jubilant Simmers declared after her win over Picklum.
“This girl, she’s a Pipe Master, I couldn’t let her have it again. I’m really happy. This wave is terrifying and I respect everyone who wants a part of it, and I respect everyone who doesn’t because it’s frigging freaky.”
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Simmers will wear the yellow rankings leaders jersey at next week’s Sunset Beach event, where Picklum is the defending champion.
After multiple delays in competition, organisers were rewarded for their patience with double overhead waves on offer early at the famous Oahu break.
Picklum’s showdown with Johnson was the highlight of the day.
Her place in the final looked assured, but Johnson had the final say.
With less than 40 seconds remaining in the heat, Johnson pulled into a huge barrel and exited, celebrating her finish.
Needing a score of 8.61, her score of 8.33 gave her a total of 15.33 and left her just short of Picklum’s 15.66.
World No.5 Picklum had laid down the challenge earlier in the heat when she flew through a barrel on her backhand side to earn the 10, which was the first of the women’s competition.
“I feel like for me personally, there’s no more fitting place than Pipe to give me my first 10,” the NSW surfer said.
“I’m just so, so happy – 10 points, it’s hard to come by.
“With the wave I was just like, Bettylou’s not going and I need a score and I know she’s capable of a 10, so I just took off and I just thought it’s got some draw to it and I may as well roll the dice and try.
“But 10 points, I love it, I want more.”
Hawaii will at least be able to claim the men’s champion, with Barron Mamiya set to face veteran John John Florence in the final.
Earlier, world No.2 Ethan Ewing made an early exit on finals day, taken out by Sydneysider Connor O’Leary, who last year switched his allegiance to Japan in the hope of locking in an Olympic berth,
O’Leary’s mother, Akemi Karasawa, is a former Japanese surfing champion, but the world No.11 grew up in Cronulla.
O’Leary locked in a two-wave total of 11.50, while world No.2 Ewing could only manage 2.73.
The young Queenslander was crunched in a big wave that snapped his board in half, and he never managed to get back in the game.
In his first semi-final appearance at Pipeline, O’Leary was outclassed by Mamiya.