IT was a crazy day in the final round of surfing’s Women’s World Championship Tour in Hawaii,
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Stephanie Gilmore has survived a huge scare to take out her sixth world title, while South Coast surfers Sally Fitzgibbons and Tyler Wright will have to wait another year for their chance to take their first title.
In a day that saw both Fitzgibbons and Wright needing to win the competition to have a chance to win the 2014 title and Gilmore to bow out in the quarter-finals, the day started brilliantly as the USA’s Courtney Cologue knocked Gilmore out, setting up a grandstand run to the finishing line.
However Fitzgibbons failed to capitalise and also bowed out in the quarters to Bianca Buitendag by less than a point.
Wright came through the quarters with a one-point win over Lakey Peterson from the USA and then stormed over Buitendag by eight points to book a spot in the final against two-time world champion, Hawaii’s Carissa Moore in the final.
With a big home crowd (and Steph Gilmore) cheering her on, Moore was the model of consistency in the final to score a 18.23 to 14.03 point win in the final, dashing Wright’s hopes and putting Gilmore back on top as world champion.
The win has given Gilmore six world titles, one behind all-time winner Layne Beachley, with Wrights final placing moving her into second on the standings, while Moore was able to leapfrog Fitzgibbons into third.