Steph tells of spurs for world title
EXACTLY a year ago in Maui Stephanie Gilmore got angry.
Then, a few months later, the Tweed Coast surfer was left shattered by a loss of a different kind.
After winning a recordequalling seventh world crown on Wednesday, Gilmore has revealed details of a critical moment and the heartbreak of losing a friend that provided twin inspiration for her season.
In Maui 12 months earlier, Gilmore realised she had missed winning her seventh crown by a single heat. That’s 20-30 odd minutes of surfing over nine months of competition. The knowledge upset her.
“(It) kind of smashed me in the face,” she said in the wake of the loss. “It really fired me up.’’
She said the close call a year ago made her realise she needed to be hungrier.
Then early in the new year, she was told Quiksilver CEO and friend Pierre Agnes was missing at sea.
On Tuesday, just minutes after securing the world crown midway through the Maui Pro, Gilmore, 30, dedicated her world title to him.
“He has been on my mind since the first event of the year,’’ she said.
“I remember at the start of the year saying, ‘I want to win the world title for Pierre’.
“In that minute I realised how much I wanted to win the world title for something bigger than myself.’’
GILMORE yesterday bowed out of the Maui Pro after losing to Hawaiian Malia Manuel in the semi-finals. Three-times world champ Carissa Moore netted the only perfect 10 of the season on the final wave to beat Manuel in the final.