Switzerland. Photo: Timo

To behold the musical lines of Stephanie Louise Gilmore speeding and styling across a blue wave face is to marvel at one of surfing’s greats in full flow. If brilliant modern surfing is about radical manoeuvres blended with a smooth wave intimacy, Miss Gilmore is the very embodiment of such.

Having so far garnered five ASP World titles (2007-2010, 2012) all the realisation of a chronicle foretold, when, as a 17-year-old wildcard, she became the youngest ever elite level event winner at the Roxy Pro Gold Coast 2005. Since that day, Steph has amassed 20 elite level wins, each achieved wearing an easy, golden smile – scant evidence of Eye of the Tiger style straining in her training. Accolades away from the beach include winning the Laureus Action Sports Person of the year 2010 in Abu Dhabi, where her four vanquished male co-finalists could only but concur at her utter worthiness. Girl Power!

Steph the woman for all seasons looks both east and west. Artist and scholar, pragmatist and dreamer, skilled on the fret of her guitar, with a taste for culture, style, people, photography, places and faces. Steph the people person involves herself in youth groups in Australia and sponsors kids in Ethiopia and Kenya. Steph, friend of the planet saves both the whales (as an advisor to Sea Shepherd) and (with Coeur de Foret in Senegal) the forests!

They say the true greats, the champions of champions transcend their discipline with an air of greatness, an aura of singular, golden status. Steph does just this, but with Aussie down-to-earth sensibilities, easy going and approachable by land and by sea. Surfing’s queen of her generation, a regal blend of talent, positive vibrations and good fortune. She is also the first really successful female surfer with long legs/arms. usually they tend to have rather short appendages.

– GD