Sally Fitzgibbons has won a record fourth gold medal at the World Surfing Games in Puerto Rico, but it was not enough to secure the Australian veteran a spot at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

Fitzgibbons, 33, fought through seven heats to beat Brazil's defending champion Tatiana Weston-Webb by just 0.86 points in the final.

She is the first athlete to ever win four individual gold medals, having won the overall title in 2008, 2011 and 2021.

However, with Tyler Wright and Molly Picklum having already taken Australia's two spots at the  Games through their world ranking points, Australia needed to win the team prize to secure a third spot in Tahiti, where the Olympic surfing competition will take place.

In the end, the Irukandjis could only finish second to Brazil, meaning there is no spot for Fitzgibbons at the Olympics.

The margins were desperately fine too, adding to the heartbreak.

Brazil only clinched the overall team win thanks to Weston-Webb finishing second, just 0.24 points ahead of France's Johanne Defay.

Fitzgibbons competed at the Tokyo Games in 2021, losing in the quarterfinals to Japan's local star Amuro Tsuzuki, who went on to win bronze on her home beach in Tsurigasaki Beach, Chiba.

Despite the Olympic disappointment, Fitzgibbons said she left Puerto Rico with a lot of confidence and pleased with having represented Australia.

"I just have an immense amount of pride thinking about the people I'm representing back home and everyone that's put into my journey and my career," she said.