Molly Picklum is a surfer and a recipient of a Tier 1 Scholarship within the 2021 Sport Australia Hall of Fame Scholarship and Mentoring Program, and has been paired with Water Polo champion and SAHOF Member Debbie Watson OAM as her Mentor.
Molly was born in Gosford on the central coast of NSW in 2002, and was catching waves at age 3. She won the 2020 Australian Surfing Rising Star Award and was named Surfing Life magazine’s number 1 Junior Female in the ‘Hottest 100 Talent’ due to her consistently impressive results in junior contests.
The North Shelly Boardriders member is making waves both locally and internationally, and enjoyed great success on the World Junior Series, as well as winning the Australian junior crown in 2018 and 2019. She also reached the quarter finals in senior events such as the Sydney Surf Pro at Manly and the Women’s Pro in Newcastle in 2019.
2019 brought more strong results when Molly won the Australasian Junior Series, and in 2020 she competed at senior level on the World Surf League Qualifying Series in a bid to qualify for the WSL Championship Tour and ride against the best surfers in the world.
Molly recently completed her year-12 studies and has committed herself to surfing full-time, with the goal of becoming the best surfer in the world and a winner of world titles. She is also perfectly poised to chase Olympic glory after surfing’s addition to the program at the Olympic Games, and would like to give back to the sport of surfing once she finishes competing.
“I was so excited to hear that my SAHOF Scholarship Application was successful. Being able to receive one-on-one mentoring from a sporting great, especially someone like Debbie Watson will be so valuable for me at this stage of my career. I feel very lucky to be a Scholarship Recipient and thank the SAHOF team for supporting me on my journey.” – Molly Picklum on being selected as a 2021 Tier 1 Scholarship Holder.
“I am excited to be paired with such a motivated young surfer. I am looking forward to mentoring Molly and supporting her throughout her sporting journey. I can’t wait to help her achieve her goals both in and out of the water.” – Mentor Debbie Watson OAM.
Awards, Honours & Achievements
- 2019: Australasian Junior Series Winner
- 2019 & 2018: Two-time Australian Junior Winner
- 2019: Doyle Partners Women’s Pro: Newcastle – QF Finish
- 2019: Sydney Surf Pro: Manly – QF Finish
- 2020: WC Tweed Coast Pro. Championship Tour
- 2021: Sport Australia Hall of Fame Scholarship Holder – Tier 1
“We are so grateful and excited to see one of our up and coming surfers, Molly Picklum paired with one of Australia’s greatest water polo players in Debbie Watson. After a wonderful start to Molly’s 2020 season, being a successful recipient of a Tier 1 Sport Australia Hall of Fame Scholarship will really cap this year off and launch her into 2021.” – Surfing Australia Chair, Layne Beachley
