Sally Fitzgibbons left runner-up, yet again

By Joel Ritchie
Updated November 6 2012 - 12:21am, first published June 9 2010 - 10:54am
Gerroa's Sally Fitzgibbons rides well in Peru on Tuesday, but not well enough to break her string of runner-up finishes on the ASP women's tour.
Gerroa's Sally Fitzgibbons rides well in Peru on Tuesday, but not well enough to break her string of runner-up finishes on the ASP women's tour.

Gerroa surfer Sally Fitzgibbons is desperate to win her maiden ASP Women's World Tour event after three consecutive runner-up finishes.The tour sophomore lost the final of the Movistar Peru Classic at San Bartolo to Brazilian Silvana Lima on Tuesday after second places at successive stops in April.Fitzgibbons' consistent performances have cemented her in second place on the rankings, behind three-time world champion Stephanie Gilmore, after five tournaments."Another bridesmaid finish," Fitzgibbons (pictured right) said. "It's a good result ... great for my rating, but I want to win one really bad."The 19-year-old was in the final twice in April - defeated by Carissa Moore in the New Zealand Women's Surf Festival and by Gilmore in the Beachley Classic at Dee Why.Fitzgibbons looked destined to break her tour drought on Tuesday, but the Brazilian was too good in lean, two to three-foot right-handers at San Bartolo and won 16.50 to 10.77."Silvana (Lima) was ripping though. I couldn't really get into a good rhythm in that heat," Fitzgibbons said."I felt good all day, but she got the jump on me and I was never able to answer back."It's all good though."We've had amazing support here in Peru and I'm looking forward to the next one."I got the wave I needed to take the win moments after the siren, but that's surfing."Lima, who ousted Gilmore in their semi-final match-up, admitted she was lucky to outdo Fitzgibbons in the decider."I feel great. I knew I needed to put up high scores early on because Sally has been surfing so well all event," Lima said."I have some really good boards and I feel like I have been surfing well. I'm so stoked right now."Fitzgibbons eliminated home-town heroine Sofia Mulanovich in the semi-finals and Hawaii's Coco Ho in the quarter-finals after a barnstorming start to the competition.She will have another chance to hoist her first trophy at the Rip Curl Pro Portugal in October.Fitzgibbons won four titles from five trips to Portugal on the junior and qualifying circuits, before bursting onto the main tour amid great fanfare in 2009.

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