Photos by: World Surf League
The 2021 WSL Championship Tour
2021 has been an exciting season, where we finally got reunited with The Championship Tour after a whole year without professional surfing due to COVID-19. Despite the uncertainty of COVID-19 and its many restrictions the athletes seem to have embraced the time off as many came back in their best shapes ever and delivered some outstanding performances throughout the season.
Rip Curl WSL Finals 2021
It all came down to finals day, where the top 5 athletes from The Men’s and Women’s CT faced each other in the new ‘finals day format’. The change of the Tour format has been a topic of discussion throughout the season, and change always brings mixed opinions. But in the end, we saw a perfectly executed event and a new format that ensured a whole new level of excitement in the battle of the world title.
It’s hard not to love this new format when you get to see the ten best surfers in the world compete in heats where everything is at stake. Every athlete came to Lower Trestles with a hunger for titles, and they put on a show that goes down in history.
Johanne Defay & Stephanie Gilmore – Photo by: WSL
Carissa Moore completes a perfect season after winning her 5th World Title
As Carissa Moore clinches her fifth World Title with back-to-back wins, she completes a perfect season, where she also became the first female surfer to win Olympic Gold. Her form and consistency throughout the season have been unmatched, as she is the only person to reach the semifinals or better in all seven events of the championship tour. With the win at Lower Trestles, she ends the year with another title for the record books.
World Champion: Carissa Moore – Photo by: WSL
Tatiana Weston-Webb entered the Title Match with great form and confidence after taking out Fitzgibbons in Match 3. Weston-Webb retained momentum as she won the first out of three heats in the Title Match against Carissa Moore. With the back against the wall, Moore remained calm as she went into the second heat and secured a victory that sent them into a final match-up. In the third heat, both athletes gave it all, but in the end, Carissa Moore’s consistency became a winning factor.
Tatiana Weston-Webb – Photo by: WSL
Gabriel Medina reaches his biggest goal in surfing as he becomes a 3-time World Champion
Gabriel Medina came into the event as World No. 1 after a season of dominance. Over two intense heats, he delivered an outstanding performance that finally made him a 3-time world champion – a dream he has been chasing for years. After winning his third world title, he can now compare his achievements with legends such as Tom Curren, Andy Irons, and Mick Fanning.
World Champion: Gabriel Medina – Photo by: WSL
Toledo was looking solid in his first heat on finals day. He came into Match 3 as the “underdog”, but delivered a dynamic performance and secured the victory over former World Champion Ítalo Ferreira.
With this important win and the fact that he knows Lower Trestles very well, as he lives there, Toledo’s odds for the final were looking very good. He came off to a good start and continued his fast pace dynamic surfing, but in the end, he had to see himself beaten by Gabriel Medina’s outstanding performance. Medina handled the pressure of the final to excellence and put on a show for all the surf fans watching.
Filipe Toledo – Photo by: WSL
2021 Rip Curl WSL Finals day Results:
| RIp Curl WSL Finals 2021 | Surfer |
|---|---|
| Men's Champion | Gabriel Medina (BRA) |
| Men's Runner Up | Filipe Toledo (BRA) |
| Women's Champion | Carissa Moore (HAW) |
| Women's Runner Up | Tatiana Weston-Webb (BRA) |
- Women’s Match 1: Johanne Defay (FRA) 12.17 DEF. Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 6.70
- Men’s Match 1: Conner Coffin (USA) 15.00 DEF. Morgan Cibilic (AUS) 9.84
- Women’s Match 2: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 11.33 DEF. Johanne Defay (FRA) 6.66
- Men’s Match 2: Filipe Toledo (BRA) 16.57 DEF. Conner Coffin (USA) 14.33
- Women’s Match 3: Tatiana Weston-Webb (BRA) 13.17 DEF. Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 11.73
- Men’s Match 3: Filipe Toledo (BRA) 15.97 DEF. Italo Ferreira (BRA) 12.44
- Women’s Title Match, Heat 1: Tatiana Weston-Webb (BRA) 15.20 DEF. Carissa Moore (HAW) 14.06
- Men’s Title Match, Heat 1: Gabriel Medina (BRA) 16.30 DEF. Filipe Toledo (BRA) 15.70
- Women’s Title Match, Heat 2: Carissa Moore (HAW) 17.26 DEF. Tatiana Weston-Webb (BRA) 15.60
- Men’s Title Match, Heat 2: Gabriel Medina (BRA) 17.53 DEF. Filipe Toledo (BRA) 16.36
- Women’s Title Match, Heat 3: Carissa Moore (HAW) 16.60 DEF. Tatiana Weston-Webb (BRA) 14.20
Gabriel Medina became the 2021 World Champion of The WSL Men’s Championship Tour.
Carissa Moore became the 2021 World Champion of The WSL Women’s Championship Tour.
Gabriel Medina – Photo by: WSL
