The end of April brought sunshine and a healthy swell to Newquay. A host of local shredders were on it, hit play for the full edit.

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• Bettylou Sakura Johnson Claims Maiden CT Victory
• Filipe Toledo Repeats History on the Gold Coast
• Veteran Sally Fitzgibbons Finds First Final Since 2021
• Wildcard Julian Wilson Reaffirms CT Prowess
• Gold Coast Royalty Put on a Show at Burleigh Heads
• More Available at WorldSurfLeague.com

Filipe Toledo (BRA) and Bettylou Sakura Johnson (HAW) have won the 2025 Bonsoy Gold Coast Pro Presented by GWM, Stop No. 6 on the 2025 World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour (CT). The pair put on incredible performances on Finals Day in front of tens of thousands of fans who lined the famous surfing headland. For the first time in over two decades, the iconic Burleigh Heads crowned two Championship Tour event winners as the birthplace of head-to-head surfing turned on clean, three-to-four-foot surf.

Bettylou Sakura Johnson Claims Maiden CT Victory 

Bettylou Sakura Johnson (HAW) claimed her maiden CT win today at Burleigh Heads, overcoming CT veteran Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) in the Final. Sakura Johnson came into the Gold Coast event sitting in 13th place on the rankings and in desperate need of a massive result here to move above the Mid-Season Cut line ahead of Margaret River. After back-to-back Quarterfinal finishes, the 20-year-old Hawaiian looked primed to take the next step, and it was on show from her Opening Round heat as she posted some of the highest heat totals of each round all the way to the Final, where she eventually claimed the biggest result of her career. 

"This is the best feeling in the world," Sakura Johnson said. "I'm over the moon to have my first win here on the Gold Coast. This is what winning feels like, and I want to keep winning. I'm super stoked to get this feeling, and I'm so grateful for everything. It's taken a lot, so much hard work and a lot of patience and perseverance to put everything together. This year was a really hard year for me, dealing with injuries and a whole bunch of other things, but super happy to just pull it together."

After only just making it through her Semifinal against 2025 CT Rookie Vahine Fierro (FRA), Johnson came out swinging, posting an 8.50 (out of a possible 10) on her first ride, then continued to post mid-range scores until ending on a two-wave total of 15.33 (out of a possible 20). Her frontside rail game was the perfect match for the fast, down-the-line walls at Burleigh. Fitzgibbons, who was in form all day, seemed to lose rhythm with the ocean, leaving Johnson to cruise to a comfortable win and rocket seven places up the rankings to No. 6 in the world. 

“I really wanted to just enjoy it all,” Sakura Johnson continued. “Soak in the moment and yeah, just know that I can do it, and trust myself, in the abilities, once I get the chance to get the wave. But yeah, I'm so happy.”

Filipe Toledo (BRA) and Bettylou Sakura Johnson (HAW) have won the 2025 Bonsoy Gold Coast Pro Presented by GWM, Stop No. 6 on the 2025 World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour (CT). The pair put on incredible performances on Finals Day in front of tens of thousands of fans who lined the famous surfing headland. For the first time in over two decades, the iconic Burleigh Heads crowned two Championship Tour event winners as the birthplace of head-to-head surfing turned on clean, three-to-four-foot surf.

Filipe Toledo Repeats History on the Gold Coast 

A decade later, Filipe Toledo (BRA) has repeated his inaugural CT win over Julian Wilson (AUS). In an exact rematch of the 2015 Gold Coast Pro Final, the Brazilian once again claimed victory over the Australian. Today’s win marked the 16th CT victory of Toledo’s career, moving him further up the rankings of the men’s all-time winners list to No. 10. After becoming the first Brazilian to win back-to-back World Titles in 2022 and 2023, Toledo decided to take the 2024 season off to spend more time with his young family, who today celebrated his son’s birthday. The return to Tour in 2025 has been notably sluggish for the 30-year-old, with only one previous Quarterfinal notched this season. An excellent Round of 32 performance in this event turned the page on Toledo’s rhythm, and he continued to push the boundaries, peaking with the 14th 10-point ride of his career in the Semifinals for a jaw-dropping barrel to alley-oop combo. The win shot Toledo a full five places up the rankings to sit one place shy of the Top 5 as World No. 6.

"First of all, I just want to thank God to bring me back here," Toledo said. "I took the year off to take care of myself, to take care of my family, just like [Julian Wilson] did, you know, but I came back a little earlier than him. It was definitely hard to get back and get going with all the surfers, everyone so in tune, so ready for anything. I was like man, I've got to get back again, you know, and it feels damn good to be back."

The men’s Final opened with fireworks and did not let up, with Wilson and Toledo going blow-for-blow in an extremely competitive Final. An opening full rotation air reverse from Toledo was met with two variations of a slob-grab air reverse from Wilson in consecutive waves, giving the Australian an early advantage. But Toledo was only just getting started. A long barrel to giant hack earned an 8.53, before an aggressive two-turn combo collected a 9.07. Wilson responded by improving on both of his scores, posting two excellent 8-point rides of his own, but his second of the two fell short of the requirement, leaving Toledo victorious.

"It was just a lot of fire, you know," Toledo continued. "The rematch again after so many years, what 10 years, sharing the Final again here on the Gold Coast. The crowds are amazing. All the Aussies, all the Brazilians. We're just super competitive, me, Jules, everyone that's on Tour, you know, we want to win so bad every time we're in a Final. As Julian said, it just brings the fire out of us. And both of us are now being dads, with kids, to the families. It was so funny looking back, just us, like way younger and trying to go after our dreams, and now we're here with beautiful families."

Wildcard Julian Wilson Reaffirms CT Prowess

A month after announcing his return to competition on the Challenger Series, Julian Wilson (AUS) has concluded a dream run on the Gold Coast with a runner-up finish in the event where he first made the Final in 2015 and won in 2018. Wilson last appeared on the CT in 2021, withdrawing after the fifth event of the pandemic-affected season in order to spend more time with his family. Having never officially retired, the 2018 World Title runner-up had long considered returning to the CT, plans which were recently made firm with a wildcard into this season’s Challenger Series draw. Wilson never imagined that an opportunity to compete in the trials for the Gold Coast Pro would turn into the accomplishment that it has, but is taking it as a strong encouragement as he re-engages with his passion for competing.

“First and foremost, thank you the WSL for giving me just a chance,” Wilson said. “To convert it into what it's turned into has been a very memorable experience for me. The fans, the support that I've received coming back has been quite emotional, so thank you everyone for the support. It's not easy to step away from the thing you love to prioritise your family and watch from the sidelines. These surfers inspire me so much. This is what I was born to do. My kids got to share it this week, it's been super super special. So yeah, just super gracious for this opportunity and thanks to my sponsors. Thanks to my wife for getting me back here and dragging the kids down with me every day, rain, hail, or shine. But yeah, enough about me, congratulations to Filipe [Toledo]. The Brazilian crowd got me so fired up out there today, and from the bottom of my heart, I love you guys.”

Veteran Fitzgibbons Finds First Final Since 2021 

Australian surfing legend and CT veteran Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) today claimed her biggest result in four years, finishing runner-up at the Bonsoy Gold Coast Pro. The 17-year veteran of the Tour has struggled with consistency in the last few years and comes into the Mid-season Cut this year facing potential relegation. The former Gold Coast event finalist came into this week needing to Final to give herself a chance ahead of the Western Australia Margaret River Pro, and she pulled on all of her experience throughout the event to find herself in the last heat of the competition. On her way to the Final, Fitzgibbons took down the in-form Isabella Nichols (AUS) in the Quarterfinal and the 2025 CT Rookie Erin Brooks (CAN) in the Semifinals but fell short of claiming her maiden Gold Coast CT victory.

“I wanted to get it together so bad in that Final,” Fitzgibbons said. “It's been a fight and a grind the last few years, but I really want to be here and my deep desire is to keep surfing for this country, for all you guys, my family down here, my friends. This means the world to me, and I just want to fight for it. It was nearly the best birthday present for my dad down there, but today was Betty's day.”

Gold Coast Royalty Put on a Show at Burleigh Heads 

Earlier in the day, two of the Gold Coast’s favorite sons and Australia’s biggest sporting icons, Mick Fanning (AUS) and Joel Parkinson (AUS), hit the lineup at Burleigh Heads for a fully judged Heritage Heat. It was their first match-up for scores since 2017, and the competitiveness between the two good friends hadn’t gone anywhere. With the low-tide conditions making the Burleigh lineup harder to navigate, the pair of World Champions, with a pair of Gold Coast Pro titles each, were always going to put on a show, and that’s exactly what they did. Parkinson, known for his ability to find tubes, did exactly that on his opening few waves, but struggled to come out. Fanning opted for turns to build momentum, and it looked to be the smarter course of action. This was until Parkinson found back-to-back set waves and went to town, posting an excellent heat total of 16.83 for his timeless and effortless tube riding and carves. Fanning managed one solid score but never found a backup, leaving the 2012 World Champion to take the win and hold bragging rights until the next time they meet.

“I wouldn't call that on fire, a couple of good waves that we turned into pretty bad waves by the end of it,” Parkinson joked. “But that was fun, you know. It's like surfing for me, and I guess Mick [Fanning], too, is just about us enjoying it. That was enjoyable. It was fun. It wasn't really fireworks, but yeah, it was a lot of fun.”

"The event has definitely had its moments where, especially yesterday afternoon, we saw some really good surfing," Fanning said. "I think probably the highlight is watching Julian [Wilson] making the comeback. It's been really exciting. We competed with Jules on Tour and, you know, good friends. So it's awesome to see him come back, and hopefully he does really well."

In the Quarterfinals, Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) faced the second inter-generational superheat of her wildcard run when she came up against Rookie phenom Erin Brooks (CAN). The eight-time World Champion, Gilmore, had already defeated reigning World Champion Caity Simmers (USA) in the Round of 16, but this time the momentum was on the side of the younger generation, with 17-year-old Brooks putting 37-year-old Gilmore into combination by heat’s end. The undisputed queen of Australian point breaks, Gilmore’s timeless style and flow saw her post two scores in the 7-point range. However, the impeccable technique of the critical backhand hits put up by Brooks landed the Canadian an 8.33 followed by a 9.43, which matched her own event-high single wave score for the women. Brooks went on to be defeated by Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS), but the points gained from her second Semifinal finish of the year pushed her two places up the rankings to World No. 8 ahead of the last remaining event prior to the Mid-season Cut.

“That heat was so crazy, I'm so lucky that I was able to surf against Steph [Gilmore],” Brooks said. “I've looked up to her my whole life and right when I got on Tour her and Carissa [Moore] kind of took time off, which is fair because they've put in so much effort to this sport, but I was like, ‘No I want to surf against you guys.’ So I was really happy that she joined this event and she's been crushing it, but I'm just glad to get the win off of her because she's so amazing.”

For more highlights from the Bonsoy Gold Coast Pro Presented by GWM, please visit WorldSurfLeague.com.

Bonsoy Gold Coast Pro Presented by GWM Men’s Final Results:

1 - Filipe Toledo (BRA) 17.60
2 - Julian Wilson (AUS) 17.20

Bonsoy Gold Coast Pro Presented by GWM Women’s Final Results:

1 - Bettylou Sakura Johnson (HAW) 15.33
2 - Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 7.83

Bonsoy Gold Coast Pro Presented by GWM Men’s Semifinal Results:

HEAT 1: Filipe Toledo (BRA) 17.67 DEF. Alejo Muniz (BRA) 14.07
HEAT 2: Julian Wilson (AUS) 15.60 DEF. Kanoa Igarashi (JPN) 14.90

Bonsoy Gold Coast Pro Presented by GWM Women’s Semifinal Results:

HEAT 1: Bettylou Sakura Johnson (HAW) 12.33 DEF. Vahine Fierro (FRA) 7.00
HEAT 2: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 11.17 DEF. Erin Brooks (CAN) 9.40

Bonsoy Gold Coast Pro Presented by GWM Men’s Quarterfinal Results:

HEAT 1: Filipe Toledo (BRA) 15.83 DEF. Yago Dora (BRA) 11.90
HEAT 2: Alejo Muniz (BRA) 13.43 DEF. Morgan Cibilic (AUS) 8.97
HEAT 3: Julian Wilson (AUS) 14.10 DEF. Miguel Pupo (BRA) 9.40
HEAT 4: Kanoa Igarashi (JPN) 14.34 DEF. Jordy Smith (RSA) 13.84

Bonsoy Gold Coast Pro Presented by GWM Women’s Quarterfinal Results:

HEAT 1: Vahine Fierro (FRA) 12.83 DEF. Luana Silva (BRA) 10.83
HEAT 2: Bettylou Sakura Johnson (HAW) 15.33 DEF. Molly Picklum (AUS) 13.37
HEAT 3: Erin Brooks (CAN) 17.76 DEF. Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 14.27
HEAT 4: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 14.47 DEF. Isabella Nichols (AUS) 12.60

Next Stop: Western Australia Margaret River Pro
The WSL Championship Tour will next head to the Western Australia Margaret River Pro for Stop No. 7, which will hold a competition window from May 17 - 27, 2025. The event will be broadcast LIVE on WorldSurfLeague.com

Burleigh Heads has turned on for an epic day of competition at the Bonsoy Gold Coast Pro Presented by GWM, Stop No. 6 on the 2025 World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour (CT). The fourth full day of competition saw the completion of the men’s Round of 32 and Round of 16 to set up the Quarterfinalists now for both the men and women. Today’s competitors put on a show in the three-to-five foot waves, posting some of the biggest numbers of the event so far.

The first heat of the day saw former CT competitor and Gold Coast Trials winner Julian Wilson (AUS) take down World No. 1 Italo Ferreira (BRA) in another major upset. It was bound to be a fiery matchup with the pair having won the last two Gold Coast CT events, Wilson in 2018 and Ferreira in 2019, and showing obvious form at Burleigh Heads. From the start of the heat, Ferreira kept busy, darting around the lineup and launching off sections, but seemed to struggle to find connection. Wilson, on the other hand, played a relatively patient game, picking off the medium sets and putting together seamless turns down the line to put up a mid-range heat total. Ferreira had a few opportunities to take the lead, but it slipped through his hands, leaving him to take his second 17th-place finish in as many events.

“The lineup is super tricky this morning, but I feel like I adapted well,” Wilson said. “I’m so excited for the opportunity and feel like I have a ton of energy. I haven’t surfed many heats against Italo [Ferreira], and when I was on Tour, it was always a matchup that I wanted. You always want to match up with those top 10 guys. He has had an incredible first half of the year and is obviously World No. 1, so it was a great opportunity for me to go up against the guy to beat. It just feels special to be a part of this event on its return to the Gold Coast, and to then surf against guys like Jack [Robinson] and Italo is cool because I’ve been watching them surf heats for years and I feel like all my energy has been bottled-up and ready to be delivered on the big stage again.”

Wilson’s bottled-up energy was further released in his afternoon Round of 16 match-up against Marco Mignot (FRA). The 2018 World Title runner-up delivered an 18.00 heat total, the highest of the event, thanks to a masterclass in variety. Wilson earned an 8.50 for a huge straight air with slob grab, but an even more impressive performance followed. The 36-year-old blew the back out of a long wall multiple times, reading it to perfection to exit a rare barrel as he powered down the line and put up the highest single wave score of the event, a 9.50. The former CT veteran left the French Rookie requiring a combination of scores as he moved into the Quarterfinals for the first time since he departed the Tour in 2021.

“This just feels amazing and really is beyond my dreams,” Wilson continued. “I thought I would be manifesting something like this, and it’s come really quickly, but I feel like I’m growing as the event goes on. I’m here with three kids and my wife, and I am just going with the flow, and I think it’s working for me. I’m kind of surprised myself with some of these performances, and it feels good to do it in front of my kids and my family.”

Toledo Leads Strong Charge from Brazilian Storm at Burleigh

Two-time World Champion Filipe Toledo (BRA) moved into the Quarterfinals for the second time this season, leading a strong charge of his countrymen, who make up half of the remaining eight men’s surfers in the event. A full-rotation air reverse from Toledo changed the momentum in a slow heat for the 2015 Gold Coast Pro winner. Jake Marshall (USA) had maintained a decent lead headed into the final minutes of their Round of 16 heat, continuing his searing form on the rail from Bells Beach, before Toledo launched his lofty rotation to earn an excellent 8.00 and the heat win.

“That was exciting for whoever’s watching, but not for me,” Toledo laughed. “It was tricky today, blessed to get that one little ramp. That wave came out of nowhere. We were paddling over a wave, and then that was like a little double up, like sucking on the reef, on the little sandbank right here. I was like, maybe this is the one, maybe this is what I need. As soon as I took off, I saw the section. I was like, oh, I’m going to have to go for the air again.”

Toledo will next meet Yago Dora (BRA) in the Quarterfinals. Dora narrowly snuck through a tight match against Alan Cleland Jr. (MEX) and now sits as World No. 2 in the live rankings. The pair will be joined on Finals Day by Alejo Muniz (BRA) and Miguel Pupo (BRA). It will be the second Quarterfinal appearance on the Gold Coast for Muniz, who placed fifth as a rookie in 2011, and the third time for Pupo, who made the finals series in back-to-back years in 2014 and 2015, peaking with a third-place finish in 2015.

The day’s results guaranteed a place on Tour in 2026 for both Toledo and M. Pupo, who joined Dora in making the Mid-season Cut. Meanwhile, Muniz has climbed eight places in the live rankings over the course of the event so far to currently sit two places above the Cut.

O’Brien Embraces the Pressure in Round of 32, Goes Down in Round of 16 to Igarashi

Giant cardboard cutouts featuring the head of Liam O’Brien (AUS) lined the point at Burleigh as the local boy took to the lineup for a marquee Round of 32 match-up against Griffin Colapinto (USA). Having never defeated the Californian after five previous head-to-head heats, O’Brien was fired up to turn the page on home soil. Tapping into his local knowledge, O’Brien stuck to his game plan of sitting near the top of the point, while Colapinto situated himself closer to the beach. After an opening mid-range score, the Australian unleashed his sharp forehand attack on a long, running wall, delivering blow after blow to earn a 9.10 and create a lead that Colapinto was unable to crack.

“That was unreal,” O’Brien said. “Griff [Colapinto]’s a top-tier competitor. He’s one of the guys that you want to try and beat. I think he’s beaten me about 50 times over the last couple of years, so I was pretty keen to try and get one back on him. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy.”

Heading into the event, O’Brien was sitting two places below the Mid-season Cut and in need of solid results in the two remaining events of the GWM Aussie Treble. Rather than feeling the pressure of the Cut and living up to the expectations of competing at home, the 26-year-old has chosen to accept it as a privilege and is feeding off the energy of the highly supportive local crowd.

“Oh, it’s the coolest thing ever, I mean, it’s like a double-edged sword,” O’Brien continued. “I was thinking before my first heats, this is sort of where I started doing little comps in boardriders and getting coached and all that sort of stuff. It’s pretty cool to go from that, all the way back, to being on Tour, but coming back to this same spot where it all started. It’s pretty special. And then to have everyone on the beach that was there all along the way is unreal. I just take it on as an honour to be out there representing the community and yeah, go and throw everything I’ve got at it and just not get too caught up in the result.”

O’Brien then headed to the Round of 16, where he took on Kanoa Igarashi (JPN) in the last heat of the day. As the huge crowds filled in to cheer on their local hero, Igarashi came bursting out of the gates, posting a 17.17 two-wave total on his opening two waves. O’Brien waited for the right wave to counter, and eventually did, finding a long, deep tube to post his own excellent score and get out of combination. Igarashi then sat with priority for the entire second half of the heat while O’Brien never found a wave that offered him the opportunity to go excellent again, leaving him to bow out of his home event in equal 9th place.

“I feel like I had to go big in that heat against Liam,” Igarashi said. “When I paddled out, he just had this look like he was going to be really hard to beat, and I fully felt it. I just told myself I need two waves. I got those two waves, and there was still a lot of time left, so I just had to get tactical. Being able to compete in a CT at your home break must be amazing. It must have been an amazing feeling for him to have that crowd chanting behind him; it made me smile. I just soaked it in, and I could see he was, too.”

Bonsoy Gold Coast Pro Presented by GWM Men’s Round of 16 Results:
HEAT 1: Yago Dora (BRA) 10.73 DEF. Alan Cleland (MEX) 10.50
HEAT 2: Filipe Toledo (BRA) 14.17 DEF. Jake Marshall (USA) 12.17
HEAT 3: Morgan Cibilic (AUS) 16.93 DEF. Seth Moniz (HAW) 13.77
HEAT 4: Alejo Muniz (BRA) 12.17 DEF. Barron Mamiya (HAW) 11.17
HEAT 5: Julian Wilson (AUS) 18.00 DEF. Marco Mignot (FRA) 14.96
HEAT 6: Miguel Pupo (BRA) 12.33 DEF. Deivid Silva (BRA) 10.93
HEAT 7: Jordy Smith (RSA) 17.27 DEF. Joao Chianca (BRA) 16.10
HEAT 8: Kanoa Igarashi (JPN) 17.17 DEF. Liam O’Brien (AUS) 15.54

Bonsoy Gold Coast Pro Presented by GWM Men’s Quarterfinal Matchups:
HEAT 1: Yago Dora (BRA) vs. Filipe Toledo (BRA)
HEAT 2: Morgan Cibilic (AUS) vs. Alejo Muniz (BRA)
HEAT 3: Julian Wilson (AUS) vs. Miguel Pupo (BRA)
HEAT 4: Jordy Smith (RSA) vs. Kanoa Igarashi (JPN)

Bonsoy Gold Coast Pro Presented by GWM Women’s Quarterfinal Matchups:
HEAT 1: Luana Silva (BRA) vs. Vahine Fierro (FRA)
HEAT 2: Molly Picklum (AUS) vs. Bettylou Sakura Johnson (HAW)
HEAT 3: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) vs. Erin Brooks (CAN)
HEAT 4: Isabella Nichols (AUS) vs. Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS)