SNAPPER ROCKS, Coolangatta, Queensland (Monday, May 4, 2026) –Today, Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) and Ethan Ewing (AUS) won the Bonsoy Gold Coast Pro presented by GWM Stop No. 3 of the 2026 World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour (CT). An incredible run of firing conditions lit up the Gold Coast’s premier point of Snapper Rocks for four days straight, seeing the world’s best surfers return to competition at the Superbank for the first time since 2018. Connor O’Leary (JPN) and Luana Silva (BRA) placed runners-up, with Silva moving to the top of the rankings for the first time in her career to secure a win in the second annual GWM Aussie Treble alongside men’s World No. 1 Gabriel Medina (BRA).
Gilmore Extends Legacy With Seventh Gold Coast Pro Title and 34th CT Win
Nine years since she last claimed victory at her home break, and 21 years since she skipped school to claim her first-ever CT win as a 17-year-old Wildcard at Snapper Rocks, Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) has extended her own records with a 34th CT event win and seventh Gold Coast Pro title. Appearing in her first Final since winning her eighth World Title in 2022, her 51st overall, the 38-year-old showed exactly why she is considered the Queen of Snapper and the greatest of all time. Starting her run through the event with a generational victory over Erin Brooks (CAN), who defeated her in last year’s Bonsoy Gold Coast Pro, Gilmore next took out the defending event winner, Bettylou Sakura Johnson (HAW), before a big win over 2024 World Champion Caity Simmers (USA) in the Quarterfinals, event standout Nadia Erostarbe (ESP) in the Semifinals, and finally the new World No. 1, Luana Silva (BRA), in the Final.
“This has been the best weekend of surfing, the waves have been pumping, Snapper’s delivered the absolute perfect goods for us,” Gilmore said. “I didn’t think I would be able to win an event this year. I cannot believe I won this event. The level of the women surfing has excelled at an incredible rate. I watched every event from a distance the last few years, and I always had those thoughts like, ‘Oh, I don’t know if I can do it anymore.’ But if it was ever going to happen, it was here at Snapper Rocks. It’s my favorite wave in the world and I just have so much fun out there. It’s such a joy to compete here, and I think when you’re in that space of having fun, things just kind of fall your way. This is what I wanted. I wanted to push myself. Those two first events where I lost first round, I was thinking, you’ve got to lose the ego. When you’re in the heart of your peak of your winnings, like earlier on in my career, you feel invincible. You have to detach from that person or whatever that was and be like, ok, I’m something new, I’m something different, I’ve learned a lot, I’ve changed a bit, and just accept what it is and approach things with a fresh mind. At the end of the day, it’s enjoying the process, whatever it may be. And this whole week has been just so much fun.”
Returning to competition after two years away, Gilmore struggled to find her rhythm, losing to Silva in her first heat of the season at Bells Beach. Following another Round One loss at Margaret River, Gilmore returned home dead last in the rankings. Though she started slow again on the Gold Coast, Gilmore built with every performance, adding her first excellent score since 2023 in the Semifinals, before peaking in the Final with a near-perfect 9.50 (out of a possible 10). After opening with a 7.83 against Silva, Gilmore stumbled on her second wave. Silva soon found a 7.00 after closing out a series of carves with a critical end section hit. A second crucial score put Silva in the lead, but a fall at the end limited her scoring potential. Once she was on the back foot, Gilmore kicked into gear, quickly reclaiming the dominant position with a 7.13, before delivering the knockout punch to post a 17.33 (out of a possible 20) two wave total, the highest of the event for the women. Evoking memories of over two decades of era-defining performances on the world stage, Gilmore showcased her timeless style as she drove through deep bottom-turns to produce tight arcs and vertical hits, leaving Silva in a combination situation to nail the Final shut.
“This is crazy, but I feel like I just got better and better every heat, and then I finally pieced it together in the Final,” Gilmore continued. “I feel there’s more in the tank, but it’s funny, I paddle out in Finals and I just switch in. I have so much clarity out there and it’s just great, so much fun. Looking back at the beach, that was just the most unbelievable scene. Congrats to Luana [Silva]. She’s just becoming a better competitor and a better surfer every single time she goes out there.”
Ewing Joins Iconic Australian Winners and Reignites Title Charge With Third CT Victory
The tenth Australian man to win the Bonsoy Gold Coast Pro Presented by GWM, Ethan Ewing (AUS), joins a long list of iconic names, including the local World Champions Mick Fanning (AUS) and Joel Parkinson (AUS). Competing at Snapper Rocks for the first time since his Rookie performance in 2017 that saw him post a 9.10 on his first-ever wave surfed on the CT, Ewing revelled in the opportunity to return to the perfection of the sand-bottom point. Ewing’s third CT victory added to his history of incredible performances on the world’s best right points, having claimed his previous two wins at Jeffrey’s Bay (2022) and Bells Beach (2023). The 27-year-old from Queensland’s North Stradbroke Island turned a rough start to the season around, rising straight into the Top 5 to now sit at World No. 4. A runner-up to the World Title in 2023, Ewing is hoping today’s result will provide the momentum required to stay present in the highly competitive 2026 Title race.
“This is destiny fulfilled for sure,” Ewing said. “[Winning this event has] been such a big goal of mine because it’s like an hour away from home. I used to be a little kid down here, coming down here and watching this event. This has been at the top of the list to win. I’ve been chasing another win for a while now, a World Title race would be nice. My last win was Bells, so a few years now, It’s just tough, I’ve been grinding away trying to get them, but everyone’s just that good, it’s super hard. I just want to keep it rolling now. This is huge for my campaign, back to work tomorrow. Fun tonight, though, let’s go.”
Ewing hit his peak during the Semifinals in a relentless battle with fellow Queenslander, Liam O’Brien (AUS), that saw escalating scores from the pair, before facing yet another surfer who has refined his style on the local point breaks, Connor O’Leary (JPN), in the Final. O’Leary gained a slight edge in the opening exchange, but Ewing was just getting started. An excellent 8.33 soon followed as Ewing tapped into his seamless flow to showcase his full repertoire down a long Snapper wall. The unstoppable backhand of O’Leary hit back with a 7.67, but across multiple further attempts was unable to match the searing pace of North Stradbroke’s finest.
“I started alright, and then I was so stressed out,” Ewing continued. “Connor [O’Leary’s] been on fire, the scariest freaking backhand. He beat me last year and J-Bay when he won. He’s a good mate of mine, he’s a tough competitor, so it feels good to get over him. I grew up on these sorts of waves, and just had a crazy good week. Just with all my mates down here, my dad’s down here, it’s just been so much fun. It’s the dream week, like straight into it, pumping waves every day. All the support’s been unreal. I appreciate it so much, it’s been crazy.”
