Sally gets stoked as Nikki ends up shocked
SALLY Fitzgibbons is “super stoked” to still be in the yellow as good mate Nikki Van Dijk blew the world title race apart with victory over multiple world champion Carissa Moore at the Cascais Pro.
In a major reshuffle of the world surf tour rankings, Fitzgibbons extended her lead in the title race as American Courtney Conlogue replaced Tyler Wright in the No.2 spot, Steph Gilmore dropped out of the top five and Van Dijk moved into it.
“I can’t believe I have finally won my first world tour event,” said Van Dijk, who beat Fitzgibbons in the semi before taking down three-time world champion Moore yesterday.
“This is what I dreamt about when I was eight years old and now it’s true.
“My legs are all wobbly.” While ruing a lost opportunity to further extend her lead with a second tournament win of the season, Fitzgibbons said she was thrilled to put any distance between her and rivals for the 2017 world crown.
“I felt like I had done enough to win that heat but that’s the challenging thing and I have to just learn from it,” she said.
“It does hurt. But I am so amped to be where I am at this stage of the year and in the yellow. I feel like I am on my own little journey and it’s very exciting. I’m super stoked.
“I just have to regroup, pick myself up, learn from this, move on and head to France for the next event.”
Van Dijk won the eighth leg of the 10-event women’s world tour at Guincho to become the first surfer from Victoria to win a championship tour event since Tony Ray in 1992.
The result pushed Van Dijk two places up into fifth place. “This is insane,” she said. The penultimate tour event, the Roxy Pro France, could start as early as this weekend.