SAN ONOFRE – Caitlin Simmers of Oceanside became the first California surfer in 40 years to win a world title and, at 18, the youngest ever to do so.
Hawaii native John John Florence won his third world title at the Lexus WSL Finals in Lower Trestles on Friday, ending a five-year reign by Brazilian surfers.
“This means so much to me. I literally experienced every single emotion today,” said Simmers a few minutes after winning the title. “I’m literally at a loss for words. I felt so much love from everyone today.”
A growing swell brought waves of 4 to 6 feet to the world’s best surfers – the top five ranked men and women – vying for the championship title.
The final was a showdown in Southern California where two female surfers competed for the championship title.
But would it be the Olympic gold medalist, the surfer from San Clemente defending her world title? Or the 18-year-old surfer from Oceanside who has dominated the surfing scene with her exciting approach to progressive female surfing?
In the first of three final matches, Simmers and Marks alternated the lead. Long breaks kept them waiting patiently throughout the heat. But with just a few minutes left on the clock, several changes created nerve-racking tension and both scored high points. With three seconds to go, Marks scored a 9.60 to win the first round.
In the second women’s meet, Simmers ran a great 9.20 and 9.17, ripping apart two big waves to achieve the highest heat total of the day and the highest ever in the history of the WSL Finals at Lower Trestles.
This meant that there was a third and final race for the title.
Simmers managed two rides and a time of 15.16, securing her new world championship title. Marks only managed one ride and a time of 7.17.
Simmers surpassed five-time world champion Carissa Moore’s record as the youngest ever world champion by just a few days. The title caps a competitive year in which she won three World Tour stops, the first at Pipeline in Hawaii, and continued her dominance this season. She also surfed for Team USA at the Olympics.
“The whole year is just crazy. The fact that it can come down to an hour and a half of surfing is wild,” said Simmers. “I’m honestly proud of the last two hours.”
“I’ve had the craziest feelings every day since Fiji,” she said of the last stop on the World Tour before the final. “I’m looking forward to just hanging out with my friends and doing the things I want to do. This has been amazing, the most incredible day ever.”
In the men’s competition, Italo Ferreira ploughed through the field in the morning, first defeating Australian Ethan Ewing and then beating Australian Jack Robinson.
The crowd was excited as Ferreira took on Griffin Colapinto, with both surfers entering the stage to the cheers of the crowd before entering the water.
Their heat consisted of fast-paced action until the sea suddenly calmed down and remained flat for more than ten minutes while Colapinto searched for another wave to outdo his opponent.
Just as the 1-minute mark was reached, a set occurred: Ferreira hit the rail on the first wave, Colapinto responded on the next, using the same tactic by making big turns on the wave. The duo high-fived on the shore as they and the crowd waited for the result.
Colapinto, needing a 7.15, waited for what seemed like an eternity with a crowd of fans surrounding him, the whole beach holding its breath. When the scores came in, it wasn’t enough – a 7.0, just 0.15 shy of the score needed, ending his challenge for the world title.
In the first men’s best-of-three duel, Ferreira was diligent, taking to the air on multiple waves to score high points. Florence was patient and selective, waiting until there were only three minutes left on the clock to take a wave for his second score. He needed an 8.16 but scored an 8.3 to win the first heat.
Ferreira set an early high of 8.17 in the second run. Moments later, Florence pulled off a huge layback to score a high 9.70, the highest single wave score ever achieved on a WSL finals day. He backed that up with a high 8.43, maintaining the lead throughout the run and winning his third World Championship title.
Florence said it was a nerve-wracking week, but he felt good in the water. Between runs, Florence said he looked at his 4-month-old son, Darwin, and thought, “Nothing else matters.”
“It’s just fun. It made me really happy,” said Florence.
He took a moment to reflect on his year – his first son, the World Tour, the Olympics and now, being world champion.
“I can’t believe it,” he said. “It’s a great feeling to bring the title back to Hawaii and the United States and hand it over to the Brazilians because they are such incredible surfers and really make it a challenge for everyone on the tour.”
This is the last year that the WSL Finals will be held at Lower Trestles. After spending the first four years at this popular surf spot, they are moving to Fiji next year.
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