Gilmore claims her fourth Bells Beach title in thrilling final
Australian Stephanie Gilmore has won a fourth Bells Beach title - and her first since 2010 - on what could be a landmark day for Australian surfing.
In a thrilling final of the Rip Curl Women's Pro on Thursday that went down to the final wave, Gilmore narrowly pipped Hawaiian Tatiana Weston-Webb - 14.17 to 13.77 - to claim another Bells crown for the six-time world champion.
Australian Stephanie Gilmore has won at Bells Beach.
Photo: WSLGilmore looked home after posting rides of 7.00 and 7.17 but the Hawaiian charged home with her two best waves coming in the dying stages of the final, including her final ride with less than two minutes to surf.
Weston-Webb was confident she had done enough with her final wave but Gilmore emerged as a popular winner.
She last rang the iconic Bells trophy in 2010 and Mick Fanning's most recent Rip Curl Pro title was in 2015.
The most recent Australian double at Bells Beach was in 2012, when Fanning and Sally Fitzgibbons won.
That was also the last time an Australian took out the women's title at Bells Beach.
It has been an event full of upsets, with stars such as John John Florence, Julian Wilson and Carissa Moore all bowing out in early rounds.
With AAP