Merewether’s Morgan Cibilic and Callum Robson will return to the Championship Tour (CT) while debutant Oscar Berry will also swell the Australian contingent when surfing’s top circuit returns to Bells Beach.
The trio all qualified for the World Surf League’s (WSL) top tour this week, doing enough at the final Challenger Series event, Newcastle Surfest, to book their spots.
Cibilic finished fifth and contested the WSL’s inaugural finals day in his only previous CT season in 2021, before fading to lose his spot and then narrowly missing requalification in the years since.
Robson has enjoyed three CT campaigns and, after winning Hawaii’s Pipe Challenger, joined the Novocastrian in the round-of-16 to confirm his passage.
Gold Coaster Berry was eliminated but thanks to other results was already assured a CT ticket before he paddled out on Thursday.
Sally Fitzgibbons already snared her CT return last month, joining compatriot and world champion Molly Picklum, men’s contender Jack Robinson and a host of other Australia’s at the Bells Beach season opener from 1 April.
“I was pretty nervous getting ready for that heat, I was a bit frantic,” hometown favourite Cibilic said.
“Stoked to get the job done.
“Halfway through, I looked in on the beach, and it was just jam-packed with the local community down here supporting me.
“It’s been a long journey.
“I put in a lot of work the past year or two.
“It’s good to see it finally paying off… and like I’m in the right direction, so I’m stoked.”
Robson admitted relief after an intense week while Berry was just soaking it all in.
“I’m going to really enjoy it and soak it in and go home and get ready for Bells,” the rookie said.
“I was going down to training the other day before I came down here, and I just had a random playlist on shuffle, and Hell’s Bells came on, and I was just thinking, ‘Oh my god, wouldn’t this be skitz?’ And it’s happening.”
Sophie McCulloch, who began the final event just outside the qualification cut line, has kept hopes of a CT return alive by reaching the final 16.
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