22-year-old Australian Molly Picklum became the 2025 World Surf Champion, securing the title at the World Surf League Finals in Fiji.
The NSW Central Coast local claimed victory in the first-heat, defeating the 2023 former world champion, American Caroline Mark, and is the first Australian to secure the title since Stephanie Gilmore’s victory in 2023.
Known to peers as ‘Pickles’, the athlete began surfing at the North Shelly Boardriders Club on the Central Coast, competing in in local competitions. This is Picklum’s second year in the WCT tour and she has represented Australia in the 2024 Olympics.
Picklum’s former surf teacher Glen Hall is a popular professional surfer on the WSL World Championship Tour, spending a decade travelling the world pursuing his dream, who has now turned his head to teaching.
Both Picklum and her teacher grew up on the small community of the Central Coast, and when it comes to surfing, Glen says it’s important to be curious, resilient, and embrace the unknowns of the ocean.
Image: Image: Shutterstock: Patrickwa
Produced By: Ruby Ward
Featured In Story: Glen Hall, professional surfer & surf teacher
First aired on The Wire, Wednesday 3 September 2025