AUSSIE’S RISE TO SURFING STARDOM
CALLUM Robson’s rise from humble carpenter to surfing superstar gathered more steam on
Wednesday, with the Aussie claiming the biggest win of his career to date at the Gold Coast Pro.
In the women’s event, 16-year-old American Caitlin Simmers thwarted Aussie after Aussie, eventually disposing of Sally Fitzgibbons in the semi-final of the women’s event and then Molly Picklum in the final.
Robson is enjoying a strong start to his first year on the championship tour, having already recorded three round-of-16 finishes to go with his second-place effort at Bells Beach.
Surfing at the challenger tour’s Gold Coast Pro for fun, Robson went one better than he did at Bells, ousting local hero Sheldon Simkus to secure top honours. Robson left it until the dying seconds to claim victory in his quarter-final and semifinal match-ups but had no problems starting fast in the most important round of the day. In windy conditions, he came out of the blocks with a 8.67, throwing the gauntlet down and daring Simkus to match him. The underdog did his utmost, notching 8.00 on his second wave, but Robson’s 7.40 on his third was enough to keep the trophy out of Simkus’ reach.
“It feels good,” Robson said. “That was big, a big day today, four heats, so I’m just stoked I got the job done.”