Australian surfer George Pittar claimed his first World Surf League (WSL) championship tour victory at the Margaret River Pro on Sunday, defeating three-time world champion Gabriel Medina in the final. The 23-year-old, who had not won a competition since he was 15, produced the highest-scoring wave of the event – a nine-point ride – to seal the win in Western Australia.
Pittar's journey to the title was marked by redemption. Last year, he lost in the round of 32 at the same event, which ended his rookie campaign prematurely due to the mid-season cut. After the defeat, he sat disconsolate in a corner of the athletes' area for 15 minutes. On Sunday, before the final, he returned to that same spot, reflecting on how different his feelings were this time.
Following his fall from the tour, Pittar worked his way back through the second-tier Challenger Series, finishing fourth. He arrived at Margaret River after a strong start at Bells Beach. In the event, he defeated a string of Brazilian world champions: two-time champion Felipe Toledo in the opening round, reigning world champion Yago Dora in the quarter-finals by just 0.07 points, Ítalo Ferreira in the semi-finals, and finally Medina in the final.
Pittar, who grew up in Vanuatu and speaks the local language Bislama, said the win felt especially sweet after the difficulties of the previous season. 'We had such a hard year last year, falling off tour. It was hard, man. It felt like we were just pushing shit uphill,' he said. He added that he now approaches competition with renewed confidence: 'I can't think I'm just another number making up the rankings any more. I want to be a competitor, I want to be at the top.'
