Molly Picklum: Joins the ranks of the great Australians
Gilmore, Fitzgibbons, Wright… all these names now have an Olympic story behind them.
Sally Fitzgibbons and Stephanie Gilmore entered the women’s competition at Tokyo 2020, finishing fifth and ninth, respectively. While Tyler Wright missed the Games, her family name was still present as an older sibling Owen Wright won the men’s bronze.
For Picklum – invited with love “pickles” in the surfing world – these women have long been role models.
“Steph and Sally, Tyler, as a young Australian growing up, we had some really good role models,” Picklum said. “They all surfed for the right reasons and they’re all good people at heart, so I’m really lucky for the people I looked up to growing up.”
So what are these good reasons to surf?
“Mean, Any surfing reason,” Piklum said with a laugh. “I feel like the right reason is just because you love it and share something that all ocean lovers share.”
Picklum shares that love of the ocean with her idols and, recently, she’s been sharing the spotlight they’ve long enjoyed as well.
The young Australian wasted no time getting noticed on the WSL Championship Tour when she debuted in 2022 with two Top 5 finishes. Although a mid-year layoff cut her season short, she held on in the Challenger Series and re-qualified.
In 2023, he returned to the Tour with even more traffic than before. Picklum earned her first CT win at Sunset Beach, was runner-up twice and never finished lower than fifth all season. This also gave her a coveted place in the Final Five.
She defended her Sunset Pro crown in 2024 and is heading to the 2024 Paris Olympics ranked fourth in the world.
While that success meant extra pressure, Picklum says she’s not intimidated — a testament to the hard work she’s put in on the mental side, including listening to podcasts, talking to sports psychologists and meditating.
“It’s not pressure because I feel like if it’s any external pressure, it’s not more than what I put on myself personally,” Picklum said. “Still, it motivates me. I feel like I want to make Australia proud and it’s just a good motivation for myself.”