Sally Fitzgibbons Is Australia's Best Working Sportsperson

Although the question of who Australia's best working sportsperson is will invite very subjective answers, as any other ignorant individual would firmly say, I have the real answer at hand.

This title deserves to be awarded to the hardworking, inspiring and truly talented Sally Fitzgibbons.

Fitzgibbons, 24, is presently classified as number two on the women’s world tour of surfing. She recently won the Fiji Pro, repeating her feat from 2014. Prior to this, she’s taken titles at the Billabong Pro Brazil, the Roxy Pro France, the Billabong Rio Pro, the Nike US Open of Surf and the Rip Curl Women’s Pro in Victoria (twice).

She strongly promotes her alcohol-free, healthy living lifestyle, which in turn is inspiring a widespread sporting audience to do the same.

This has clearly struck a chord with the Australian public, accounting for her reputation as the most trustworthy athlete in the country (as measured by Repucom).

Fitzgibbons also strives to promote and converse with her fans through social media. With 634,000 Facebook fans, 346,000 Instagram followers, and 153,000 Twitter followers, her social media presence is a powerful tool and a marketer’s dream. As Repucom managing director Guy Port told the Daily Telegraph, “Ten, 20 years ago Australian’s plying their craft overseas didn’t have the same mechanism to build their profile locally…  [Now] People can follow these athletes around the world, in completely different time zones. It’s a huge factor in what makes these guys popular.’’

Yet, she uses her influence to impart positive, inspiring messages to her fans, reminding us that the best sportsperson isn’t merely the one with the most medals.

Photo above taken from Instagram.

Congratulations to Zea for winning this writing challenge, answering: Who Is Australia's Best Working Sportsperson and Why? Zoe wins a $50 Westfield gift card. For your chance to win, check out our latest writing challenges in our Comps section. Also, be sure to follow this guide on how to win the writing challenge!