Rising surf star channels Barty in title hunt
MOLLY Picklum’s decision to wear the name of Ash Barty on her jersey into the Rip Curl Pro in Portugal next week tells you almost everything you need to know about the World Surf League title aspirant.
In a celebration of International Women’s Day, every surfer in the league – male and female – will wear the name of a woman in sport who inspires them at the famous Supertubos break.
Picklum, who will wear the tour leader’s yellow jersey into the event after her breakthrough victory at Hawaii’s Sunset Beach last month, has the same quiet confidence and drive that took Barty to three grand slam tennis title.
With refreshing candour and confidence, Picklum declared she could win a world title in just her second year on tour – just a year after she was brutally axed as a rookie in the controversial mid-season cut.
“I have full belief in myself that I can end the year as number one,” said Picklum, who along with fellow Aussies Isabella Nichols and Bronte Macaulay also celebrated Barty ahead of International Women’s Day last year. “I’ve got to keep my head down and take it event by event because there’s challenges every single moment of this whole tour, so it’s take it as it comes.
“But I do feel like I have the ability to win and I just proved that (at Sunset Beach) and every event I’m showing up feeling like I can win. So if that happens, I’ll be world champion at the end of the year.”
There’s not a hint of ego when the 20-year-old from the NSW Central Coast makes the bullish declaration.
It’s more a combination of self-belief and knowledge that she’s put the work in, along with a good support team. “I think I’ve been quite fortunate from young age where I’ve had a really good support team around me,” Picklum said.