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AAP
AAP
Melissa Woods

Australia's Irukandjis lethal at World Surfing Games

Jack Robinson, Ethan Ewing and Sally Fitzgibbons have proved unstoppable as the Australian team members all remain alive at the International Surfing Association World Surfing Games in Puerto Rico.

The trio have won each of their opening three rounds, with the Irukandjis, as the Australian team are known, looking to secure another two spots for the Paris Olympics.

The winning men's and women's teams will earn their country another Olympic quota spot with an additional 12 berths -  five for men and seven for women - up for grabs with 55 nations competing on the Caribbean island.

Robinson headed to Puerto Rico in sizzling form, having won the last World Surf League (WSL) event at Hawaii's Sunset Beach.

The West Australian cruised into round three where he posted another strong win, scoring 13.50, with his nearest rival fellow Championship Tour (CT) surfer American Barron Mamiya, who posted 9.14.

Ewing had similar success with his score of 11.33 topping the four-man field to set up a round-four meeting against Indonesian star Rio Waida and Kehu Butler of New Zealand.

Surfers can contest up to 11 heats if they go through repechage all the way to the final, making it a marathon competition over a week.

Fitzgibbons has thrived in the format, winning the event three times (2008, 2018, 2021) and finishing third in 2022.

The 33-year-old relished the small waves on offer to sweep her heat and set up a round-four battle with teammate Molly Picklum, who finished second in her third-round heat.

Picklum, who also won at Sunset and is currently the women's WSL rankings leader, will also face Germany's Camilla Kemp and Yolanda Sequeira of Portugal in the fourth-round match-up.

While the men only have three surfers in round four of seven rounds, the women have four competing and complete six rounds before the final, plus ongoing repechages.

Tyler Wright is in the repechage round but has elite company, joined by Tokyo gold medallist and five-time world champion Carissa Moore, surfing for Team USA.

Morgan Cibilic, who was a surprise selection in the Australian men's team, has won his last two repechage rounds to remain in contention.

Cibilic finished in the world top five in 2021 but then missed the cut and has competed on the second-tier ever since.

He and Tokyo Olympian Fitzgibbons, who returned to the CT this year, are yet to qualify for this year's Games.

Meanwhile, at the Australian Surfing Awards in Sydney, Ewing and Picklum were named male and female surfer of the year, while Chelsea Hedges was inducted into the Surfing Australia Hall of Fame.

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