Hawaiian Gabriela Bryan breaks through first World Surf League championship tour win at Margaret River

Gabriela Bryan came to Margaret River fighting to make the World Surf League’s mid-season cut. She leaves having broken through for her first championship tour event win and having rocketed up the rankings to world No.5, putting her right back in the mix for the end of year Final Five. The 22-year-old Hawaiian made her first world tour final in Margaret River in 2022, when she lost to Australian Isabella Nichols, but knew when she carved across her first big-scoring wave in Sunday’s Margaret River Pro final at Main Break that luck would surely be on her side this time. “Once I kicked out of that wave I thought, ‘Wow, that was super special’,” she said after beating teenage American tour rookie Sawyer Lindblad 15.93 to 13,92 in the final. “Margaret River will always hold a special place in my heart. It’s crazy, I was under the cut so I knew I needed a big result. You play all of these scenarios but to come away with my first win is incredible.” Bryan admitted it had been a nervous week and a half, with slow conditions before finals day, leading to long periods of waiting for the swell to pick up. But when it did, she made the most of the 6-8ft waves on offer. “The last 11 days have been crazy,” she said. “Ask anyone in my crew, the last 10 or 11 days I’ve been a nervous wreck and I’m just so grateful we had a chance with these waves and we all god chances to perform. “It’s crazy how one event can change your whole year. I’m definitely going to continue to push myself because I want to be in the Final Five.” Lindblad, who landed a 9.40-point air in her semifinal upset of two-time world champion Tyler Wright, saved her place on tour by making the final. She said having put together the best event of her short career in her first trip to Margaret River, including her best heat score of 16.57, would fill her with confidence for the rest of the season. “I’m really stoked to make my first CT final and make the cut,” she said. “My first season on tour has been lot of learning and I feel as a rookie it’s so hard because you are always up against the top seeds. I finally managed to get past them and go all the way to the final so it’s really cool and really special. “I was feeling a lot of pressure, I had to make the final to make the cut, so it was pretty crazy. But I’ve been having a lot of fun surfing. It gives me a lot of confidence and I’m excited for the back half of this year.” Earlier, Australian tour veteran Sally Fitzgibbons was eliminated by Lindblad in the quaterfinals, relegating her to miss the cut and likely have to requalify for next season via the challenger series. Women’s semifinals HEAT 1: Gabriela Bryan (HAW) 11.90 (7.23, 4.67) def. Brisa Hennessy (CRI) 11.17 (6.17, 5.00) HEAT 2: Sawyer Lindblad (USA) 16.57 (9.40, 7.17) def. Tyler Wright (AUS) 10.30 (5.93, 4.37) Women’s final Gabriela Bryan (HAW) 15.93 (8.10, 7.83) def. Sawyer Lindblad (USA) 13.92 (7.27, 6.67)