John John Florence and Caitlin Simmers crowned 2024 World Surf League champions
John John Florence and Caitlin Simmers have taken out the 2024 World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour (CT) titles at Lower Trestles in San Clemente, California.
The WSL Finals returned to Lower Trestles, a wave that, for many, represents what high-performance surfing is about.
The arena known for demanding power surfing prowess, aerial antics, and occasional barrel work delivered fun three-to-five-foot A-frame waves.
The iconic venue welcomed the circus with blue skies, a glassy line-up, loud fans on the beach, and a world-class roster eager to put their hands on the coveted Duke Kahanamoku World Champions Trophy and write their name in surfing history’s champions list.
The morning kicked off with the revenge of the fifth-placed surfers and both Tatiana Weston-Webb and Italo Ferreira riding safely into the semifinals.
Weston-Webb defeated Molly Picklum and Brisa Hennessy, while Ferreira eliminated Ethan Ewing and Jack Robinson.
A surprise? Maybe quite not so.
In men’s match 2, though, Ferreira and Robinson had an unusual quid pro quo.
In a paddle battle for priority, the Australian pushed the Brazilian’s shoulder back for an instant.
Ferreira protested, but judges considered there was no interference, and the only thing Italo was awarded was priority on the next wave.
However, the two Brazilians would have different fates.
Reigning world champion and Paris 2024 Olympic gold medalist, Caroline Marks made sure to impose her credentials over Weston-Webb and advanced to the all-American final.
Italo and Griffin Colapinto put out a great show for the packed crowd, but the tight, dramatic post-surf judging fell for the 2019 WSL world champion.
Entertaining Title Matchups
The title matchups were decided: Caroline Marks vs. Caitlin Simmers and Italo Ferreira vs. John John Florence.
With conditions deteriorating a bit and six seconds left on the clock, Marks stomped a near-perfect 9.80 to win her first tight clash against the young Californian.
On the men’s side, Ferreira put all his effort into his high-risk aerial trumps, but the Hawaiian’s variety of maneuvers eventually prevailed in the initial title matchup.
Next, Simmers smashed her opponent and forced a third decisive heat.
Florence was quicker and put on a magnificent display of all-around surfing by beating Ferreira twice and clinching his third world title.
“I’m tearing up. I can’t believe it,” expressed Florence.
“The last seven years have been so tough. There were so many injuries, and just fighting back to being in this position.”
“My family, my wife, my son, my team, everyone. I couldn’t have done it without them because of the injuries and the down days and just so much going into these last few years to get to this point.”
The women’s world title was decided on a slow heat, with Caitlin Simmers making the most of the swell available.
The surfer from Oceanside is the youngest woman to win an ASP/WSL world title at 18 years and 322 days old.
Simmers is also the first female surfer from California to clinch the trophy since 1983.
“It means so much. I literally was going through every single emotion today, and it just feels crazy,” Simmers said.
“I can’t believe it. I was feeling so much love today from everyone.”
“You can look at it as if it’s all for yourself, or you can look at it as if it’s for those people who support me.”
Once the event wrapped up, it was unavoidable to recall the times when surfing’s greatest performers were once crowned at Pipeline in overhead surf.
Ultimately, the WSL Finals is a TV-friendly and commercially attractive format but not the ideal showdown for competitive surfing.
It’s pleasant to watch on the couch or the beach but inevitably disdains most of the work, traveling, and points all athletes gather throughout the season.
On top of that, fifth-placed surfers have to surf at least five heats in a single day to claim the title.
Fans have been asking WSL to revert the format to the no mid-season cut, but the status quo will unlikely change soon.
Fiji’s Cloudbreak has already been announced and locked in for the 2025 WSL Finals.
2024 WSL Finals at Lower Trestles | Title Matches
Men
- John John Florence (HAW) W-W
- Italo Ferreira (BRA) L-L
Women
- Caitlin Simmers (USA) L-W-W
- Caroline Marks (USA) W-L-L
Words by Luís MP | Founder of SurferToday.com
