8x World Champ Stephanie Gilmore Taking One-Year Break From WSL Championship Tour
Coming on the heals of the announcement that five-time world champion Carissa Moore would be stepping away from competition this year, now eight-time world champ Stephanie Gilmore has also announced that she will not be competing on the Championship Tour in 2024.
“I am planning to take this time as a refresh for myself physically, mentally, and enjoy following swells and free surfing in new places,” said Gilmore in a statement released by the WSL. “I have some projects and trips I want to do, which haven’t been possible while traveling during the season. I am still passionate and dedicated to competing, and I have goals and dreams that I am still chasing - I’m excited for this year to activate those and I look forward to returning in 2025.”
Gilmore has already been given a wildcard to compete in the 2025 season when she returns. Brazil’s Luana Silva will fill the place of Gilmore this season on the Championship Tour.
Gilmore’s last world title came in 2022, when she coincidentally beat Moore in a battle for the ages at the WSL Finals in pumping Lower Trestles. Competing on the Championship Tour since 2007, Gilmore holds the record for most world titles won by a woman. Over the course of her career she’s won 33 events, but more than her victories, Gilmore is consider on of the most stylish surfers on the planet and has inspired a generation of women to find their own joy in surfing.
Whatever surf trips and projects she has up her sleeve, there’s no doubt that Gilmore will continue push the sport and culture of surfing forward over the next 12 months. And while her presence on tour will be missed, it’s going to be so fun to follow her next adventures.
The 2024 Championship Tour kicks off next week the the Pipe Pro on the North Shore of Oahu.
5x World Champion Carissa Moore Stepping Away From Competitive Surfing
With more than 25 years of writing about surfing, the ocean and action sports, Jake Howard continues to share stories, profiles and issues that shape the surfing world. One of the premier subject-matter experts in the field today, he's savvy in the ways of print, digital and social media, his breadth of work is expansive. Getting his start writing Surfline surf reports and recording the phone reports for 976-SURF in the late '90s, Jake served as the managing editor for Surfer Magazine in the early 2000s before moving on to launch RedBullSurfing.com and cover surfing for ESPN and the X Games. Over the years, Jake has also enjoyed time behind the edit desk at The Surfer's Journal, as well as the World Surf League, where he worked as the Senior Editor for a number of years. Beyond producing editorial content, Jake has served as a digital marketer and copywriter for iconic surf brands such as Quiksilver, Roxy and Rip Curl. Writing thousands of pages of copy for Surfline, he has deep SEO experience as well. The surf columnist for the San Clemente Times, Jake continues to dedicate himself to the culture and history of the sport through his involvement with the Surfing Heritage and Culture Center in San Clemente.