SAN CLEMENTE, CALIFORNIA, USA – SEPTEMBER 7: The Top 10 Finalists at the press conference prior to the commencement of the Rip Curl WSL Finals on September 7, 2021 at Lower Trestles, San Clemente, California. (Photo by Thiago Diz/World Surf League)
The waiting period of the first ever Rip Curl WSL Finals starts tonight.
The event will await the best surfing conditions, running over one day, between September 9 – 17 in the new, winner-take-all event to decide the undisputed 2021 World Champions.
“To win the third World Title is my biggest goal,”
said two-time WSL Champion and World No. 1, Gabriel Medina.
“It’s amazing to win the title. All the surfers I look up to have won 3 titles, so I really want to do that. I know it’s gonna be hard, but I’ve been training hard, surfing everyday and I just want to make it happen.”
“It would be really special to win a World Title in this new format, here in Lower Trestles” said four-time WSL Champion and Olympic gold medalist,Carissa Moore (HAW). “I have four amazing women in the showdown, so I really have to put my head down and work for this one, but if it works out it will be super special.”
“It’s been a very special year for me,” said reigning WSL Champion, Olympic gold medal winner, and World No. 2, Italo Ferreira (BRA). “All these guys here are such a big inspiration to me, and I’m excited to be competing with them for this next challenge of my career.”
“It would be an honor to be on that stage with anyone, but with a fellow Brazilian would be even better,” said World No. 2, Tatiana Weston-Webb (BRA). “For our country, I think that would be a big statement for a female to dominate all around. It’s already happening on the male side with Gabriel, Filipe and Italo. They all inspire me so much, so it would be a big honor to stand aside them on the stage.”
The 2021 Rip Curl WSL Finals Format
The top-ranked male and female surfers, Medina and Moore, will have a major advantage over the other WSL Final 5 contenders as they will be seeded directly into the Title Match, a best-of-three showdown to determine the World Champion. The remaining surfers will enter the Rip Curl WSL Finals bracket based on their year-end rankings. The women will be the first to take the water with Match 1 and will alternate with the men for the remainder of the day.
Match 1 will see Johanne Defay (FRA) take on 7X WSL Champion Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), followed by rookie Morgan Cibilic (AUS) and Conner Coffin(USA). Both matches will have a traditional heat format in a head-to-head competition. The winners will advance to Match 2 where they will face world No. 3 on the WSL Leaderboard: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) and Filipe Toledo (BRA).
The winner of Match 2 will then face-off against the number two ranked surfers, the Brazilian duo Weston-Webb and Ferreira, in Match 3.. The winners of Match 3 will move on to the best-of-three Title Match, where they will face the World Number 1 Moore and Medina in a head-to-head competition with a traditional heat format. The first surfer to win two out of three heats becomes the undisputed 2021 World Champion.
Thank You To The 2021 Rip Curl WSL Finals Partners
The Rip Curl WSL Finals is proudly supported by Rip Curl, Jeep, Red Bull, Super 73, Shiseido, Oakley, DraftKings, Michelob ULTRA, IKEA, Expedia, Sambazon, Flying Embers, and Waterloo.
As the title partner of the event, Rip Curl will be helping WSL make history by crowning the undisputed world champions in this new one day event format. In partnership with Tilly’s, Rip Curl hosted a sweepstakes for a few lucky winners to get an all expenses paid trip to the Finals. Rip Curl will also be running a number of events for the San Clemente community during the event window, including working with Surfrider and WSL PURE on a beach clean up, hosting the Lineup Live, Rip Curl team signings and a live mural painting at the Rip Curl San Clemente retail location, and running surf and mentor sessions with the local boardriders youth club and Bethany Hamilton.
It’s been a long time since the Groms of the Rip Curl team got together to surf, train and most of all, have fun !
Even if the swell was not really happening during this summer edition of the Hell Team Camp in Hossegor, each surfable wave of each session was exploited to the maximum by super excited Groms, including a very appreciated stop at the Wave Garden!
Nothing could have altered their contagious good humour and inexhaustible energy, not even the QS cancellation in Anglet. One thing is certain, the Rip Curl Hell Team groms are just waiting for one thing : the next Hell Team Camp next winter!
The Environment Agency (EA) has told water and sewerage companies that they may be allowed to discharge effluent that has not been properly treated due to chemical shortages caused by Brexit and the pandemic.
It said some of the firms may not be able to comply with the conditions because of chemical shortages caused by Brexit, coronavirus or other “unavoidable supply chain failures”. Or as any sane person calls them “avoidable supply chain failures’
Water companies may be allowed to discharge the effluent without meeting the conditions and this would apply until the end of the year “unless we extend it”. said the EA
Companies must prioritise chemical treatment for effluent discharges “which have the greatest potential to cause environmental harm”. and get in touch with the EA two weeks befor ethey run out of them.
A British government spokesperson lied, “This action is strictly time-limited and there are robust conditions in place to mitigate risks to the environment. The most sensitive and high-risk watercourses will not be affected and any company planning to make use of this short-term measure must first agree its use with the Environment Agency, which will be checking compliance.”
“Is this the Heaviest surf session ever seen in the Mentawaiis?
“I’ve been traveling to the Mentawaiis Islands for the past 10 years and for me this was some of the Biggest, heaviest, shallowest and most dangerous waves ive surfed around here… It might look perfect, but trust me….
“This wave stands up like a train, it’s steep like looking down a cliff, once you made that drop and pulled in, you never know if that last section is going to do… It’s a roll of the dice, wether it stays open and lets you out or just close out because the reef is to shallow to handle such mass of water.
“You gotta pay to play, and this time the boys paid to play.. Scratches, broken board, split up noses and to finish off the session Nasty Nate knocked himself out on the last wave.
“Life of a pro surfer is the dream they say, until you go head first into the reef and need to get stiches but your 16h away from the closest Hospital”.
New documentary reveals Italo Ferreira’s origins until the historic Surfing medal
Coproduced by Billabong and O2, ‘The Curious Tales of Italo Ferreira’ will be launched globally and for free this Wednesday (8) on Red Bull TV
First Surfing Olympic champion, Italo Ferreira has his story revealed in his first documentary: The Curious Tales of Italo Ferreira. Available exclusively on Red Bull TV from *September, the coproduction between Billabong and O2 tells the surfer’s history, achievements, and challenges under a unique story angle.
“When we started to shoot in Baia Formosa (RN), I couldn’t imagine that it was going to be so emotional. I’m imagining the people watching it… I got emotional, so I think people will feel a little bit of what I felt during my history, and how hard was to face some challenges but never give up”, tells Italo.
“And a curiosity for everyone: I’ve asked the team to launch the film only after Tokyo, because I was going to make history there, and wanted it to be featured on the production”, reveals.
The approximal 45-minute documentary goes back to Italo’s origins, in Baia Formosa (Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil), through testimonials (and a special voice over!) from friends, family and the city community, as well as through rare footage from when he was a kid. From his start on Surf using a Styrofoam cover, to the sugarcane trails to find the best waves, the production brings Italo’s essence to the audience, while he continues to be ‘a kid full of dreams’.
“To see myself in front of the cameras, and giving voice to my friend’s story, was incredible and emotional. When I was speaking to the cameras, I got emotional also, while remembering some stories. This shows that we reached a place we never expected to, thanks to Italo. I’m only grateful”, says Buxexa, Italo’s childhood friend and the voice of the film.
The film also brings an unknown side of Italo Ferreira: the explosive and energetic surfer also shows his very shy side and his focused look outside the sea.
“Italo’s story is like no other in surfing,” says Billabong VP Global Marketing Evan Slater. “And we’re proud to work with Red Bull and 02 Filmes to share his inspiring journey with the world.”
“Italo is very shy and is not a big fan of interviews. It was the first time I did an interview with people in action. Katiana, Italo’s mother, was sewing; Luizinho, his father, was cleaning fish; and Italo was inside the ocean. We got super close to Italo during the production, which made everything easier. We laughed a lot, it was a really intense experience and we got to learn a lot”, says Luiza de Moraes, the film’s director.
The Curious Tales of Italo Ferreira is available for free on Red Bull TV 8 September.
Follow Aboubakar Bouaouda, up-and-coming talent from the little surf town of Dar Bouazza, 15km south of Casablanca. His surfing seduced us since we first saw him when he was a little grom, and his story one to give goosebumps. A true reminder of why we love this weird sport called surfing. We also met with a local pioneer, Abdel El Harim, who shared with us his story.
Directed/Edited by Rayane Hatimi Produced by Hamza Bennani & Rayane Hatimi Starring Aboubakar Bouaouda & Abdel El Harim
