Australia's eight-time world champion Stephanie Gilmore will return to the World Surf League's Championship Tour (CT) next year after being awarded a season wildcard.

Gilmore's return comes after she stepped away from the tour in 2024, two years after winning her most recent world title.

Her 2022 triumph gave her a record eighth world championship.

"The last few years, I've enjoyed time off to do some exploration and other things," Gilmore said in a statement.

"But I'm looking forward to heading back to the CT in 2026 and seeing how I compete against the young talent on the tour.

"I'm mostly excited just to see how I go in these challenges again.

"When you step away from competing full-time, you can really switch off and it can be hard to get back into that headspace.

"But I'm excit

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