O'Donell, Phyllis (1937 – )

Wispy regularfooter from Sydney, Australia; winner of the 1964 World Surfing Championships. O'Donell was born (1937) and raised in Sydney, the daughter of an auto mechanic father and stenographer mother, and began surfing at age 23. Four years later she was the surprise winner of the Australian National Titles, and just a few weeks after that, at Sydney's Manly Beach, she defeated American champion Linda Benson of California to win the sport's first-ever World Championships.

At 27, O'Donell ...