Gilmore, Stephanie (1988-…), is an Australian professional surfer. Gilmore has won the Association of Surfing Pros World Title eight times, a record for women. She is also known as an activist for equal pay and opportunity for women surfers. Critics have noted her effortless, feminine style.
Stephanie Louise Gilmore was born on Jan. 29, 1988, in Murwillumbah, in northeast New South Wales, Australia. She began surfing around the age of 10. She started competing in 2005 at the age of 17 as a wild-card competitor—that is, as a person who participates in a competition without qualifying. In 2007, her first year as a professional surfer, Gilmore won the world title at the Billabong Pro tournament in Hawaii. She went on to win the world title again in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2018, and 2022. In August 2010, at the age of 22, Gilmore became the youngest person inducted into the Surfers’ Hall of Fame.
In December 2010, Gilmore was attacked outside her home in New South Wales, resulting in a broken wrist and head injury. Her early success, the attack, and her comeback to surfing were the subject of the documentary motion picture Stephanie in the Water (2014). Gilmore competed as a member of the Australian surfing team, called the Irukandjis, at the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo. The 2020 Summer Olympics were postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was the first time surfing was included as an Olympic event.
