Gilmore riding form into Olympics

Stephanie Gilmore.

FOUR rounds into the world tour and Australian Olympic surfers are starting to look like medal contenders – the women at least.

Seven-time world champion Stephanie Gilmore overcame a chequered history at Margaret River – which included fracturing her fibula in a free surf six years ago – to finish runner-up to Brazilian

Tatiana Weston-Webb in the Boost Mobile Margaret River Pro on Monday.

It was Gilmore’s best result of the season, and the best result in 2021 of any of the four Australian surfers earmarked to compete in Tokyo where surfing debuts later this year.

“I’m stoked. Second isn’t always the greatest but here, I will take it,’’ Gilmore said.

“I’m on the improve. I’m just chipping away.

Gilmore’s second place follows on from three fifth places in earlier world tour events.

Sally Fitzgibbons, who has been preselected for the Olympics along with Gilmore, Owen Wright and Julian Wilson, fell in the quarter-finals to finish fifth at the event – the same position she is on the world rankings.