Sally Fitzgibbons could still feature at her second Olympics, or at least shape the nation's Paris tilt, after earning selection in Australia's World Surfing Games squad.
The International Surfing Association event in Puerto Rico next month is the final qualification event for the Games, which will be contested at Teahupo'o in the French territory of Tahiti from July.
Fitzgibbons and fellow left-field selection Morgan Cibilic will join Jack Robinson, Ethan Ewing, Tyler Wright and Molly Picklum - who have already qualified for the Olympics - in Australia's Irukandjis team.
Surfers could compete in up to 11 heats if they go through repechage all the way to the final in Puerto Rico, making it a marathon competition over a week from February 24.
The winning men's and women's teams will earn their country another spot at Teahupo'o, with Cibilic and Fitzgibbons in the box seat for selection if they are able to guide Australia to victory.
Ewing, Robinson, Wright and Picklum qualified as Australia's highest-ranked finishers in the most recent World Surf League campaign, in which Fitzgibbons was a victim of the mid-season cut.
Cibilic finished in the top five on the Championship Tour in 2021 but then missed the cut and has wallowed on the second-tier ever since.
Should the Irukandjis taste success in Puerto Rico it will be Surfing Australia's high-performance team who make the call on Olympic contenders, taking into account form since early 2022 and suitability for the big-wave conditions likely to come in Tahiti.
Fitzgibbons, 33, has been a passionate and loyal advocate as surfing found its way into the the Olympic arena.
She copped a brutal quarter-final upset when local hope Amuro Tsuzuki denied her a medal shot in Japan three years ago, while teammate Owen Wright collected bronze in the men's event.
"Even after all these years it is such an honour and a special feeling to be selected to represent Team Australia," Fitzgibbons, who has requalified for this year's top tour, said.
"Although the stakes are high it doesn’t change how we all approach things as a team.
"Your best surfing is done when you are grounded and present in each of the tasks at hand ... the bigger picture will take care of itself."
