Molly Picklum's Mindset: World Surfing Title Defense

0:00Australian surfer Molly Picklem has this killer ritual before every big comp. She jots down all the chaos in her head on what she calls her Admit it. List. It helps her face fear straight up instead of dodging them. That move paid off huge last September, when, at just 22 years old, she snagged her first world surfing title in Fiji as the top seed. She had to grind through a best of three final, dropping the first heat, but clawing back for a two to one win, over defending champ Caroline Marx from the USA. It was pure emotion after years of battling her own mind. Four years back, anxiety had her second guessing every wave, to the point she couldn't even finish rides, according to her coach back then. High pressure was beating her down, making her hesitate in the unpredictable surf world. Intermind coach Ben Crowe, who's worked with tennis star Ashbarty and in our coach Ivan Cleary. She helped Picklem shift gears, embracing the ride instead of fighting it.

1:00Now she's all about admitting feelings to stay locked in. She's kicking off her title defense this week at Bell's Beach in Victoria, the tour's first stop. Never won there, but came runner up last year. Right now, she's feeling solid with her boards, just a tad tire from a busy week. Nothing a few naps won't fix, she's ready to rip. That's your update from Sydney News Today, powered by AI.