Aussie Picklum pipped in Abu Dhabi surfing final

[Pelican Press 0]

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Aussie Picklum pipped in Abu Dhabi surfing final

Molly Picklum has come agonisingly close to taking another World Surf League title before having to give second best to reigning world champ Caitlin Simmers in a dramatic final at the Abu Dhabi wave pool.

Picklum, the rising 22-year-old from Gosford, fought back superbly in the man-made waves on Hudayriyat Island, taking the showdown against the American to the very last ride on Sunday.

Simmers needed to score 7.04 on her final run to take her sixth WSL title after Picklum had battled back into contention with two fine second-run performances of her own to take the lead and put the pressure on.

So when the teenager took a tumble near the end of an impressive ride, both she and Picklum were left agonising over whether she’d actually done enough as they waited anxiously side-by-side to learn the judges’ verdict.

“This is so close,” Picklum said aloud.

So close, but yet so far, as it turned out.

For when Simmers’ score of 7.43 flashed up, the judges having decided the quality of her early routine had tipped the scales her way, the American was left whooping with delight as she realised she had prevailed by just 0.40 points, 16.10 to 15.70.

Picklum had earlier made her way to the showdown by defeating ********* Erin Brooks in the quarter-final (14.50 to 13.03) and Frenchwoman Vahine Fierro (13.77 to 10.53) in the semis.

But 19-year-old Simmers, clearly the best surfer throughout the event, did enough to earn her sixth straight win over the ***********, who has yet to defeat her in a WSL head-to-head.

The loss provided the anti-climactic end to what had for a while looked set to be a red-letter day for the *********** surfers, with both Ethan Ewing and Jack Robinson having qualified for the men’s semi-finals.

But their bid to make it into an all-Aussie final was scuppered when Ewing, the 26-year-old Queenslander who was fifth in last year’s championship, was beaten by Rio Waida 15.93 to 15.70, after the Indonesian pulled out a fine 7.50-point second ride on the left wave.

Olympic silver medallist Robinson, fourth in last year’s championship, ran into inspired Brazilian hall of famer Italo Ferreira, the former Olympic champion who delivered a couple of magnificent alley-oops en route to winning 17.37 to 15.03.

The 30-year-old Ferreira then maintained his vintage form to win the final against Waida 17.27 to 14.50.

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