The wrist that world surfing champion Stephanie Gilmore broke when she was attacked with a metal bar is finally starting to pack some competitive punch.
Gilmore has produced her best surfing performance since being attacked outside her Tweed Heads home in December to advance to the Rip Curl Pro quarter-finals at Bells Beach.
The 23-year-old unleashed an 8.50 point ride early in her three-woman round three heat on Friday.
From there it was total control in excellent 1.5-metre surf as she beat NSW teenager Tyler Wright and France's Pauline Ado to make the quarters.
Gilmore had complained her wrist was still causing her problems in the season-opening Roxy Pro at the Gold Coast last month, when she missed the semi-finals.
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At Bells, the confidence appears to have returned as the pain dissipates.
"It's good, it's been holding up fine. I've been getting a bit done on it and it felt great out there," Gilmore said. "It doesn't really like the cold - it aches a little bit.
But that's been the major feedback from anyone who's had their wrist broken." Winning her heat also ensures Gilmore has less surfing to do at Bells, avoiding a sudden-death fourth round encounter and taking the saloon passage to the last eight.
Gilmore's ride wasn't the best score of the women's third round.
Brazilian Silvana Lima recorded a 9.00 in her heat, comfortably advancing to the quarter-finals.
Others to make the quarters directly were current world rankings leader Carissa Moore and fellow Hawaiian Coco Ho.
