1. Sally Fitzgibbons started surfing at a young age, winning the Icon All-Girls Open Event Lennox Head in 2006 aged 16.
20 Facts About Sally Fitzgibbons
1. 2.
Sally Fitzgibbons represented her State and Australia on many occasions in a number of different sports, including athletics, winning gold at the 2007 Australian Youth Olympic Festival 800m and 1500m, touch football, soccer, surfing and cross-country running while attending Kiama High School.
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Sally Fitzgibbons continued to set records throughout her junior years, winning the Australasian Pro Junior Series in 2007 and 2008.
4.
At 15, Sally Fitzgibbons represented Australia at the International Surfing Association U18 World Surfing Titles in Brazil placing second; at 16, she travelled to Portugal for the ISA U18 World Titles and won her first World Title and backed it up the following year winning both the Billabong ASP U21 World Title and the ISA World Games Open Title.
5.
In 2010 Sally Fitzgibbons came runner up in three ASP Women's World Tour events and finished the year as runner up to Stephanie Gilmore in the 2010 ASP Women's World Title.
6.
On 23 April 2011, Sally Fitzgibbons won her first ASP World Tour event, defeating Carissa Moore in the final of the Rip Curl Women's Pro at Bells Beach.
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On 30 April 2011, Sally Fitzgibbons won her second ASP World Tour event, defeating Carissa Moore in the final of the Subaru Pro in Taranaki, New Zealand.
8.
Sally Fitzgibbons finished the season runner up to Carissa Moore in the 2011 ASP Women's World Title.
9.
On 6 December 2011, Sally Fitzgibbons came fifth in the 2011 Surfer Poll Awards held by Surfer magazine.
10.
In 2011 Sally Fitzgibbons won the 6-Star event Swatch Girls Pro France.
11.
In February 2012, Sally Fitzgibbons won the first ever Australian Open after defeating 2004 World Champion Sofia Mulanovich, this meant Sally Fitzgibbons will be the first person to ever hold the US and Australian Opens of Surf titles at the one time.
12.
On 23 February 2012, at the 2012 ASP World Surfing Awards Sally Fitzgibbons won three awards.
13.
April 2012, Sally Fitzgibbons won the Rip Curl Pro at Bells Beach Australia, it was back-to-back wins at Bells for Sally Fitzgibbons.
14.
Sally Fitzgibbons beat 4 times world champion Stephanie Gilmore in the final.
15.
Sally Fitzgibbons won a gold medal at the final qualifying event at the ISA World Games in El Salvador in June 2021 in the lead up to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
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Sally Fitzgibbons had qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in 2019 by finishing in the top eight on the WSL World Tour that year.
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Sally Fitzgibbons competed in athletics before she started her professional surfing career.
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Sally Fitzgibbons was a national champion winning middle-distance runner in the 800m and 1500m, winning gold medals in both those events at the 2007 Youth Olympics.
19.
Sally Fitzgibbons is a third cousin of former Socceroos goalkeeper Mark Bosnich.
20.
Sally Fitzgibbons is an Australian Football League fan and follows the Geelong Cats, her favourite players being Joel Selwood and Patrick Dangerfield.