Olympic surfing in Teahupo’o, Tahiti, one of the best waves in the world
US surfer and reigning Olympic gold medalist Carissa Moore describes the “intimidating, intense” waves that await the Olympic surfers in Tahiti.
Caitlin Simmers, the No. 1 seed in Friday’s World Surf League final, recently learned she can make history.
At 18, she has what it takes to become the youngest surfer to win a world championship.
A win at Lower Trestles in San Clemente, California, would see Simmers take the record from five-time champion and Olympic gold medalist Carissa Moore.
“Yeah, it’s crazy,” Simmers told USA TODAY Sports. “I didn’t even know that until recently.”
“She’s one of the best of all time, so it would be pretty amazing to beat her (record).”
Moore was 18 years, 10 months and 18 days old when she won the Association of Surfing Professionals women’s title in 2011.
If Simmers wins the one-day final on Friday, she would be 18 years, 10 months and 12 days old. The competition window will be extended to September 14 in case there are any delays due to the circumstances.
Simmers is not only the youngest but also the smallest of the five qualified surfers. She is a generous 1.60 m tall and weighs 51 kg.
“The first or second year on tour, she had a rough start in the big ocean in Hawaii,” said Simmers’ coach Tommy Whitaker. “She loves it, but she’s still so petite that it was really hard to score points.”
“But she adapted wonderfully.”
At the WSL Finals, Simmers could face fellow American Caroline Marks, the No. 2 seed who won a gold medal at the Paris Games and the 2023 WSL Finals. The other surfers completing the “final five” are No. 3 Brisa Hennessy of Costa Rica, No. 4 Molly Picklum of Australia and No. 5 Tatiana Weston-Webb of Brazil, who won silver at the Paris Olympics.
The winner will receive $200,000, while second place will receive $100,000, third place will receive $75,000, fourth place will receive $60,000, and fifth place will receive $40,000.
The WSL Finals is a single elimination format with head-to-head matches. The number 4 seed surfs against the number 5 seed. The winner advances and surfs against the number 3 seed. The winner advances and surfs against the number 2 seed. And that winner advances and surfs against the number 1 seed. The winner is determined by best-of-three heats in the final round.
Caitlin Simmers weighed her options
At the age of 16, Simmers qualified to compete against the best surfers in the world on the WSL Championship Tour.
She decided against it and preferred to stay at home with her family. A year later, according to her coach, she was being looked at with skepticism.
“You’re expected to come out and show it was worth it,” Whitaker said of Simmers’ postponement of the start of her professional career.
In her first event, she finished ninth out of 18 surfers.
Two events later, she won. And later in her rookie season, she won again, including second, third and fourth place finishes in the WSL finals.
“I haven’t regretted the decision one bit,” she said of staying home in 2022. “I think it’s given me another year to grow without the tour and just grow as a person and not just as a competitor. … I’m really young, so I still have a long way to go in my life. So I’m just taking it slow.”
Her pace quickened.
This season, Simmers has won three of the nine events. No other surfer has won more than one event on the Championship Tour, which includes 17 full-time members and one wildcard event.
“I experienced the greatest development (at Simmern) because I knew it was more about the process and the joy of the journey than about wins or losses,” Whitaker said.
For example, Weston-Webb defeated Simmers in the third round at the Olympic Games. Weston-Webb scored 12.34 and Simmers scored 1.93.
“You’re working with one of the most unpredictable things in the world, the ocean,” Simmers argued. “And you really can’t tell it what to do. …
“I know I can surf well and that I have what it takes to win this competition (the WSL final). And I feel ready.”
Caitlin Simmers’ mental preparation for the final
Her friends will still be there for her. Her mom will still take care of her. She’ll go on bike rides, hang out, and do yoga.
Simmers said these are things she keeps in mind as she tries to prepare for the final without giving in to pressure or expectations.
“I keep everything in perspective and know that whether I win a world title or not is not going to change the course of the world,” said Simmers, who grew up in Oceanside, about 20 minutes from where the final was played. “But I also know that it’s my goal and that I’ve been working towards it for the last few years and that definitely doesn’t mean I don’t want it.
“It’s just about putting things in perspective and not getting too caught up in them.”
Whitaker said it’s something they talk about regularly.
“She’s such a wonderful surfer, such a wonderful human being,” he said. “But her whole life is not just surfing, eating, surfing, training, surfing. A very big, important part of her journey as a professional athlete is making her life and surfing a part of her life, but not her whole life.”
“She wants to continue to love it and do it her way.”
Follow Josh Peter on social media @joshlpeter11
