Erin Brooks (CAN) and Cole Houshmand (USA) won the Fiji Pro Presented by Corona Cero, Stop No. 8 on the World Surf League (WSL) 2026 Championship Tour (CT). In pumping six-to-eight-foot conditions, Houshmand put on a standout performance at the world-famous Cloudbreak in Fiji, with huge committed turns coupled with long, heaving barrels for his third CT win. Brooks claimed her third CT victory following Isabella Nichols’ (AUS) withdrawal from the event due to an injury sustained in yesterday’s Semifinal. 19-year-old Brooks claims her back-to-back win after her remarkable run through the draw, including a Perfect 10 in her opening heat and taking down a stacked field of competitors with Caroline Marks (USA), Vahine Fierro (FRA), and Carissa Moore (HAW) for the win.
Houshmand Turns Season Around with Inspiring Win at Cloudbreak
Cole Houshmand (USA) has claimed an incredible victory at Cloudbreak in one of the most exciting Finals of the season, overcoming three-time World Champion Gabriel Medina (BRA) to earn his third CT event win from as many Finals appearances. Coming into this event, Houshmand had lost in Round 1 at six events and had won heats in only one event this year. With CT requalification firmly at the front of his mind, the San Clemente local needed a major result here in Fiji, and his intent was evident from the get-go, taking down the world’s best, including reigning World Champion and Fiji event winner Yago Dora (BRA), on the way to the Final.
“I’m speechless; I don’t think I could have scripted it any better,” Houshmand said. “To go up against Gabby [Medina] in the Final and have a battle with him and him get a 10. We’ve got a great friendship, and he’s been my inspiration my whole life, so I’m just speechless, man. I’ve had the craziest year ever. I didn’t know if I was going to requalify, losing the first round of every event and just questioning everything, but it all worked out. I’ve just put my head down and stuck to the plan.”
In the Final, both surfers struggled to find waves early, finding themselves out of position when the sets hit the lineup. Then, as the matchup moved into its second half, Houshmand took firm control with an amazing combination of on-the-face power surfing between short but punchy tube rides, first posting an 8.50, then backing it up with another excellent ride to post a 16.87 two-wave total. This left Medina (below) in a combination situation (needing to turn in two new scores), but for barely a second, as the Olympic Bronze Medalist took off on the best wave of the Final and pulled in deep on the first section before racing through section after section, completely disappearing, before flying out into the channel, gesturing for a 10. The judging panel obliged, scoring the wave a Perfect 10 and putting Medina back in the heat, only needing a mid-range score. Holding priority, Houshmand was able to sit on Medina for the last five minutes and keep him from finding a wave, leaving him to take the win and rocket 10 places up the rankings to World No. 17.
“It never really goes the way you expect it sometimes,” Houshmand continued. “Maybe there is a reason for me to have all of those losses in the first round and for this to happen. It’s been amazing, and it’s been a long year, but I couldn’t imagine it any other way. Getting to the Final was already a win for me; getting that far and sharing it with Gabby was amazing. I want to thank all of the people from Fiji; this place is full of good vibes and good energy, and it’s hard not to love this place.”
Erin Brooks Claims Second Fiji Win as Nichols Forced to Withdraw
Erin Brooks (CAN) has been crowned the 2026 Fiji Pro winner after Isabella Nichols (AUS) was forced to withdraw from the Final due to the ankle injury sustained in her Semifinal win over Brisa Hennessy (CRC). The result marks a full-circle moment for Brooks at a venue that holds special significance in her career. It was here in 2024 that she claimed her maiden CT win as a wildcard, becoming the first Canadian to win a CT event. Since joining the Tour full-time, Brooks endured a slower start to her CT career, but the tide has turned in dramatic fashion over the past month, with this result following her win at the Outerknown Tahiti Pro to give her back-to-back victories heading into the back half of the season. Brooks now sits at World No. 8, making a leap from 19th in the last two events.
"I’ve just been having so much fun. That win in Tahiti took so much pressure off and allowed me to go out there and surf the way I wanted to, and in the first heat of this event, I had the best heat of my life, scoring a Perfect 10, and I feel like that’s just grown with me throughout the event,” Brooks continued. “I’ve just been smiling and having fun, and I just love this place. I actually saw Occy (Mark Occhilupo, 1999 World Champion, Tahiti and Fiji winner in 1999). When I got here, he congratulated me on Tahiti and was telling me about the ‘dime-a-double,’ where you win both Fiji and Tahiti back-to-back. It’s been in my head, and the closer I’ve been getting, I’ve been getting so excited, and finally doing it is insane. In the back half of the year, I still need to step up, as I have a lot of last places, but I’m so excited to go to Lowers. I love it there and have a lot of friends and family there, so it’s going to be great.”
Nichols’ Best Result of the Season Comes with Bittersweet Ending
Despite being unable to compete in the Final, Isabella Nichols' (AUS) runner-up finish is her best result of the season, a significant turnaround in a year defined by inconsistency. Nichols opened 2026 with a strong third-place finish at Bells Beach, but was dealt a string of early-round eliminations through the middle of the season before finding her footing again in Tahiti last month. The momentum carried into Fiji, where she pushed all the way to the Final before her ankle injury forced her out of the jersey today. The result is bittersweet for Nichols, who is close friends with Brooks and spends much of her time with her on Tour. It was Nichols’ toughness, drawing on her Viking heritage, that saw her battle through the injury to see out her Semifinal win before ultimately having to step aside.
“It’s unfortunate, but I’m still so stoked to have made the Final here and to see Erin [Brooks] take the win,” Nichols said. “A big congrats to Erin, she has been the most dominant surfer all week, so I was excited to share the Final with her, but to see her get back-to-back wins, I’m so happy for her; she’s like a little sister to me. Yesterday, I went to the hospital for scans and an X-ray, which showed I have no broken bones but a high ankle sprain. It will be one of those things where I just wait and see, but at the moment, I can barely stand on this foot. So to surf a heat with the size of the waves right now would be smart, especially smart for me, especially if I want to be back and strong for the next few events. It’s all still looking very up in the air for me at the moment, so I will just take it day by day and get home for some much-needed rest. After Brazil, I was in a pretty dark place after not banking a result at a lot of my pet events. I was getting really pessimistic when looking at places like Fiji and Tahiti, as I’ve never made it to the Quarterfinals at either one. I’ve put in some time at these places now, and to see it pay off is amazing.”
The women’s Top 10 stayed much the same after the Fiji Pro Presented by Corona Cero, apart from Brooks and Nichols both moving inside, pushing Caroline Marks (USA) and Nadia Erostarbe (ESP) into 10th and 11th, respectively.
Medina Bounces Back with Epic Runner-Up Finish In Fiji
Gabriel Medina (BRA) has put the disappointment of losing the first round at back-to-back pet events (Brazil and Tahiti) with an amazing run in Fiji to finish runner-up to Houshmand. Medina was a clear standout all event, particularly on Finals Day, turning on his trademark tube wizardry and super-fast rail surfing on the powerful walls of Cloudbreak to post a 9.33 in the Quarterfinals, two 9-plus rides for a 19.04 heat total in the Semifinal, and a Perfect 10 in the Final, the third of the event and the third of his career in Fiji. Medina was unable to get his third Fiji victory from four Finals appearances, but today’s result was enough to bump him back up into World No. 4 ahead of the Lexus Trestles Pro.
“Coming out of that wave in the Final was the best feeling,” Medina said. “I was waiting for that wave, and I’m so happy to get the 10. I feel good to make the Final with Cole [Houshmand]; he’s a good friend and has been ripping so much, and we’ve been surfing a bunch together, so we already had a few heats before the Final, which was really good because we’ve been pushing each other. I’m just stoked to be here, and I’m happy for Cole as well. Today was amazing. I had some really good guys in this event, and it’s always hard when the waves are really big, and everyone is surfing amazingly. I just focused on myself and just thanked God for the opportunity. I’ve already got so many good memories from this event. When I came to the Tour, I made my first Final with Kelly [Slater] here, so I can’t complain, as this is another great moment here. It’s been an amazing two weeks here.”
On his way to the Final, Medina took down former Fiji Pro winner Griffin Colapinto (USA), who has used this Pacific leg of events to get his World Title campaign well and truly back on track, backing up his runner-up finish in Tahiti with an equal third-place finish here in Fiji. Colapinto’s back-to-back Finals Day finishes have seen him rocket six places up the rankings to World No. 6 as he prepares for his hometown event, the Lexus Trestles Pro, which is set to kick off later this month.
Colapinto shared third place with an in-form Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA), who continued his breakout year in Fiji with a Semifinal berth. He will look to carry his momentum into the next stop on the WSL CT, the Lexus Trestles Pro, which runs from September 11 through September 20, 2026.
For highlights and more information from the Fiji Pro Presented by Corona Cero, please visit WorldSurfLeague.com.
2026 Fiji Pro Presented by Corona Cero Women’s Final Results:
1 - Erin Brooks (CAN)
2 - Isabella Nichols (AUS) INJ
2026 Fiji Pro Presented by Corona Cero Men’s Final Results:
1 - Cole Houshmand (USA) 16.87
2 - Gabriel Medina (BRA) 15.17
2026 Fiji Pro Presented by Corona Cero Men’s Semifinal Results:
HEAT 1: Cole Houshmand (USA) 17.10 DEF. Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA) 11.33
HEAT 2: Gabriel Medina (BRA) 19.04 DEF. Griffin Colapinto (USA) 14.57
2026 Fiji Pro Presented by Corona Cero Men’s Quarterfinal Results:
HEAT 1: Cole Houshmand (USA) 16.13 DEF. Yago Dora (BRA) 13.27
HEAT 2: Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA) 14.33 DEF. Callum Robson (AUS) 10.43
HEAT 3: Griffin Colapinto (USA) 13.00 DEF. Connor O'Leary (JPN) 10.50
HEAT 4: Gabriel Medina (BRA) 15.66 DEF. Kauli Vaast (FRA) 7.33
