Overview
- The eight-time world champion ends a two-year sabbatical to resume full-time competition on the 2026 Championship Tour.
- The 2026 tour abandons the one-day finals, restores a first-past-the-post title race, and awards extra points at the Pipeline finale.
- Long-time rival Carissa Moore is also set to return via a season wildcard, bolstering the lineup of veteran champions.
- Gilmore’s latest competitive outing came as a 2025 Gold Coast Pro wildcard, where she upset defending world champion Caitlin Simmers before falling to Erin Brooks.
- She re-enters a field increasingly defined by younger standouts, including Molly Picklum, Bettylou Sakura Johnson and Erin Brooks.