Cibilic’s fairy-tale rise to culminate in world title challenge

Morgan Cibilic grew up surfing at Angourie before moving to Merewether in Newcastle.

In 2019, he seemingly came from nowhere to qualify for the World Surf League’s 2020 Men’s Championship Tour (WCT). Covid put the brakes on the 2020 season, however, the 2021 season’s world title qualifying competitions were completed in Mexico last week, where Cibilic finished equal ninth, and he had amassed 25,270 points and a fifth-place rating and a shot at the world title.

As a result, Cibilic will compete against the four surfers above him, Gabriel Medina, Italo Ferreira and Filipe Toledo (all from Brazil), and the USA’s Connor Coffin at the season’s finals at Lower Trestles, San Clemente, California (September 9 to 17). Image: Courtesy WSL