06/30/2025
Molly Picklum Claims Victory At 2025 VIVO Rio Pro
Molly Picklum has claimed the third Championship Tour (CT) win of her career at the VIVO Rio Pro in Saquarema, Brazil, taking her to World No. 1.
The 22-year-old will now wear the Yellow Leader’s Jersey as the tour heads to stop No. 10 at Jeffrey’s Bay, putting her in serious contention to fight for her maiden world title at the WSL Finals in Fiji later this year.
Picklum has been the most consistent surfer on Tour in 2025, with no lower than a Quarterfinals finish in eight out of nine events, including three Finals.
"I've worked so hard this year to really put my best foot forward," Picklum said. "I've dreamt so much of winning here in Rio, too. I'm a real energetic person, I love the Brazilian energy, and to get a win this year means so much for sure.”
Picklum dominated the Final, opening with a strong single backhand hit for a 6.83 (out of a possible 10). Shen backed it up quickly, placing Brazil’s Luana Silva in an early combination situation that grew exponentially after Picklum posted the women’s highest single wave score of the event, an 8.17.
Silva was eventually able to break the combo with a 6.63 but was still left needing a score when the buzzer sounded, securing the win for Picklum with a 15.00-point heat total.
“Thank you so much and shout out to everyone back at home,” Picklum shared. “I actually ran in and started calling my family straight away because I wanted to share it with the people I love and the people that have supported me the entire time, big love to you guys.”
Hailing from the Central Coast of New South Wales, Picklum signed with Rip Curl in 2018 at just 14 years old. Her most notable surfing achievements include her perfect 10-point ride at Pipeline in 2024, and her back-to-back wins at Sunset Beach, Hawaii.
After finishing 5th in the world for the last two years running, Picklum is on a great trajectory to finish even stronger this year with an almost 5,000-point lead over World No. 2 Gabriela Bryan.
Aussie tour veteran Tyler Wright also remains within striking distance in seventh place, while Rookie Erin Brooks sits just behind in eighth.
With just two events left in the regular season, we can’t wait to see how Molly harnesses this momentum going forward.
