Australia's Irukandjis lethal at World Surfing Games

Aussie veteran Sally Fitzgibbons won three titles at the ISA World Surfing Games. (AP PHOTO)

Jack Robinson, Ethan Ewing and Sally Fitzgibbons have proved unstoppable as the Australian team members all remain alive at the International Surfing Association World Surfing Games in Puerto Rico.

The trio have won each of their opening three rounds, with the Irukandjis, as the Australian team are known, looking to secure another two spots for the Paris Olympics.

The winning men's and women's teams will earn their country another Olympic quota spot with an additional 12 berths -  five for men and seven for women - up for grabs with 55 nations competing on the Caribbean island.

Robinson headed to Puerto Rico in sizzling form, having won the last World Surf League (WSL) event at Hawaii's Sunset Beach.

The West Australian cruised into round three where he posted another strong win, scoring 13.50, with his nearest rival fellow Championship Tour (CT) surfer American Barron Mamiya, who posted 9.14.

Ewing had similar success with his score of 11.33 topping the four-man field to set up a round-four meeting against Indonesian star Rio Waida and Kehu Butler of New Zealand.

Surfers can contest up to 11 heats if they go through repechage all the way to the final, making it a marathon competition over a week.

Fitzgibbons has thrived in the format, winning the event three times (2008, 2018, 2021) and finishing third in 2022.

The 33-year-old relished the small waves on offer to sweep her heat and set up a round-four battle with teammate Molly Picklum, who finished second in her third-round heat.

Picklum, who also won at Sunset and is currently the women's WSL rankings leader, will also face Germany's Camilla Kemp and Yolanda Sequeira of Portugal in the fourth-round match-up.

While the men only have three surfers in round four of seven rounds, the women have four competing and complete six rounds before the final, plus ongoing repechages.

Tyler Wright is in the repechage round but has elite company, joined by Tokyo gold medallist and five-time world champion Carissa Moore, surfing for Team USA.

Morgan Cibilic, who was a surprise selection in the Australian men's team, has won his last two repechage rounds to remain in contention.

Cibilic finished in the world top five in 2021 but then missed the cut and has competed on the second-tier ever since.

He and Tokyo Olympian Fitzgibbons, who returned to the CT this year, are yet to qualify for this year's Games.

Meanwhile, at the Australian Surfing Awards in Sydney, Ewing and Picklum were named male and female surfer of the year, while Chelsea Hedges was inducted into the Surfing Australia Hall of Fame.

License this article

What is AAPNews?

For the first time, Australian Associated Press is delivering news straight to the consumer.

No ads. No spin. News straight-up.

Not only do you get to enjoy high-quality news delivered straight to your desktop or device, you do so in the knowledge you are supporting media diversity in Australia.

AAP Is Australia’s only independent newswire service, free from political and commercial influence, producing fact-based public interest journalism across a range of topics including politics, courts, sport, finance and entertainment.

What is AAPNews?
The Morning Wire

Wake up to AAPNews’ morning news bulletin delivered straight to your inbox or mobile device, bringing you up to speed with all that has happened overnight at home and abroad, as well as setting you up what the day has in store.

AAPNews Morning Wire
AAPNews Breaking News
Breaking News

Be the first to know when major breaking news happens.


Notifications will be sent to your device whenever a big story breaks, ensuring you are never in the dark when the talking points happen.

Focused Content

Enjoy the best of AAP’s specialised Topics in Focus. AAP has reporters dedicated to bringing you hard news and feature content across a range of specialised topics including Environment, Agriculture, Future Economies, Arts and Refugee Issues.

AAPNews Focussed Content
Subscription Plans

Choose the plan that best fits your needs. AAPNews offers two basic subscriptions, all billed monthly.

Once you sign up, you will have seven days to test out the service before being billed.

AAPNews Full Access Plan
Full Access
AU$10
  • Enjoy all that AAPNews has to offer
  • Access to breaking news notifications and bulletins
  • Includes access to all AAPNews’ specialised topics
Join Now
AAPNews Student Access Plan
Student Access
AU$5
  • Gain access via a verified student email account
  • Enjoy all the benefits of the ‘Full Access’ plan at a reduced rate
  • Subscription renews each month
Join Now
AAPNews Annual Access Plan
Annual Access
AU$99
  • All the benefits of the 'Full Access' subscription at a discounted rate
  • Subscription automatically renews after 12 months
Join Now

AAPNews also offers enterprise deals for businesses so you can provide an AAPNews account for your team, organisation or customers. Click here to contact AAP to sign-up your business today.

SEVEN DAYS FREE
Download the app
Download AAPNews on the App StoreDownload AAPNews on the Google Play Store