Wave Rider

ALTHOUGH HER SPORT IS A SOLO ONE, SEVEN-TIME WORLD SURF CHAMP STEPHANIE GILMORE IS ALL ABOUT THE POWER OF COMMUNITY PHOTOGRAPHY

- SYLVÈ COLLESS

Stephanie Gilmore has won no fewer than seven world titles. The sheer beauty of her surfing has seen her star in documentaries and score sponsorships with global brands, and her transcendent skill led the World Surf League (WSL) to describe her as “one of the most dominant surfers in history”. But speak to her and you’d never know she was anything more than a regular beach girl. “If you’re not having fun, what’s the point?” she says about her impressive achievements.

It’s this relaxed attitude that has made Gilmore uniquely equipped to deal with the uncertainty that’s surrounded the now postponed Tokyo Olympics, where surfing will make its debut. Her focus is on the pure joy of her sport, not competing. “That’s the beauty of surfing, it’s hard to even call it a sport because it’s such a beautiful lifestyle that we live,” she says. “On holidays and in off-time, surfers are all still checking swell forecasts and finding waves around the place. That’s still the greatest motivation for all of us – the joy you get from adventuring to find new waves. I mean, winning is fun, too! I’m really lucky that I can have both. I can paddle out and be challenged, but I can also paddle out and switch off and just have fun with my friends.”

This happy, wholesome attitude is one Gilmore has had from an early age. “I can’t thank my parents enough for giving me their values of actions speaking louder than words and being kind. We were never super-wealthy, but they taught me that you don’t need much to be happy. Now I’m doing what I love, so it’s easy to have a great perspective on my life.”