“When the Olympic dream became a reality, my inner 10 year old grom that sat in the stands cheering Cathy Freeman, jumped out of her seat fist pumping and cheering and said we did it, our dream came true.”
A surfing prodigy who’s been riding a wave of tremendous accomplishments since age six, Sally Fitzgibbons had dreamed of being an Olympic athlete her whole life. Signing with Harvey Norman as an official brand ambassador in 2022, the Gerroa, New South Wales native has left an indelible mark on Australian sport.
At age 14 Fitzgibbons became the youngest surfer to win an Association of Surfing Professional (now World Surf League) pro junior event. A year later, she claimed the title of International Surfing Association (ISA) under 18s world champion at an event in Portugal. Despite all this success, Fitzgibbons wasn’t certain what her future would look like.
“Surfing wasn’t my only love. As a kid, I ran track, played soccer, touch footy, surf lifesaving, as many sports as I could fit in.” – Sally Fitzgibbons
This uncertainty came with good reason, at the same time she was making waves in the world of pro surfing, Fitzgibbons was winning junior gold in the 800m and 1500m track events at the 2007 Australian Youth Olympic Festival in Sydney.
Eventually, surfing won out for Fitzgibbons, who has gone on to win twelve WCT events and four ISA World Championships. Since then, Fitzgibbons has become a dominant force in international surfing, consistently ranked among the top surfers in the world.
It wasn’t until 2019 when Fitzgibbons was able to realise her dream of becoming an Olympic athlete by finishing top 8 in the World Surf League World Tour. However, in 2020 when the COVID-19 Pandemic hit, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, and Fitzgibbons childhood dream of competing as an Olympian, were delayed to 2021. This didn’t deter Fitzgibbons, who used this time to strengthen all areas of her surfing.
Fitzgibbons would end up placing 5th in Tokyo with a heartbreaking quarter finals loss to Japan’s Amuru Tzuzuki. Despite recently taking home her fourth ISA World Surfing gold medal in the final qualifying event before the Paris Olympic Games later this year, Fitzgibbons narrowly missed out on qualification for the final position.
Not to be deterred, Fitzgibbons continues chasing her lifelong ambitions to stay at the top of the surfing world, all while striving to make a difference in the world. Sally has published two books and a number of Apps, encouraging the next generation to live an active and healthy lifestyle while raising up and promoting the best in women’s sports.
You can support Fitzgibbons and follow along with her journey through her Instagram, X, and Facebook pages.
Harvey Norman is proud to support an athlete of such a sensational calibre as Sally Fitzgibbons and continue to cheer her on through all her efforts, both in and out of the ocean.