From Underdog to Undisputed: How Molly Picklum Snatched the Crown in Fiji
The waves at Cloudbreak were heavy, the stakes heavier. Caroline Marks—Olympic gold tucked under her arm—had first crack in the best-of-three heat. One-nil up, things looked tidy for the American, especially since Molly Picklum had spent the previous week battling a bug that would’ve sidelined most mortals.
Then the comeback script flipped. The Central Coast goofy-footer reset, threaded two nine-point rides, and took the next two heats to seal Australia’s newest world title. Listen to her first interview as champ here via ABC.
Even wilder? Her long-time coach, Glenn “Micro” Hall, reckons she’s still four years shy of her prime. “That’s a scary, scary thought,” he told The Sydney Morning Herald. If this is the warm-up act, the encore is going to be deafening.
For photographers chasing the moment, it was a masterclass in patience: storm-swell Cloudbreak lighting up like a stadium, backlit barrels, and one young surfer smiling through the spit. Expect those frames to drop everywhere this week—tag them #SurfSnaps for a feature, because the story isn’t done; it’s just getting warmed up.