CONGRATS TWO BRAND NEW WORLD CHAMPIONS! YAGO DORA & MOLLY PICKLUM: Lexus WSL Finals Fiji presented by Corona Cero:
Yago nailed his maided World Title against in form Griffin Colapinto!
Molly overwhelms Caroline Marks to take her maiden title!
FULL STORY ON THE WAY….
Tavarua is 22 hours ahead of us. So, we started 1030am Monday HI time (830am Fiji time).
Watch the Lexus WSL Finals Fiji Presented by Corona Cero LIVE Now
After spending over a week in Fiji eagerly awaiting for the start of competition, and with two practice sessions under their belts, the Final 5s are prepped and ready to battle for the World Title.
For the first time, the WSL Finals has a location change from high performance surfing at Lower Trestles in Southern California to the tropical paradise that features the long, hollow lefts of Cloudbreak in Fiji. Cloudbreak has finally come to life to challenge and test the world’s best in their quests for the World Titles.
Watch the Lexus WSL Finals Fiji Presented by Corona Cero LIVE at WorldSurfLeague.com.
World Champions Will Be Crowned at Cloudbreak
The world’s best surfers that make up the men’s and women’s Final 5 have proven themselves through 11 events at the most iconic surfing destinations around the globe. Today, they will be put to the ultimate test to determine the World Champions.
Kicking off competition on the women’s side, No. 5 seed Bettylou Sakura Johnson (HAW) will take on No. 4 seed Caroline Marks (USA). An Olympic Gold Medalist, Marks, makes her third Finals appearance, previously earning the 2023 World Title and a runner-up finish in 2024. For Johnson, this will be her first Finals appearance, but the 20-year-old is coming off her best season yet with her first two CT event wins. The winner of Match 1 will move on to meet reigning World Champion and No. 3 seed Caity Simmers (USA). 19-year-old Simmers looks to defend her World Title and, being one of only three women to wear the Yellow Leaders Jersey this season, knows what it takes to find the podium. The winner of Match 2 will face No. 2 seed and Finals newcomer Gabriela Bryan (HAW). Bryan is coming off of a breakthrough season that saw her earn three CT event wins in El Salvador, Margaret River, and Jeffreys Bay. The women’s No. 1 seed, Molly Picklum (AUS), will have to wait for her Title Match contender, the winner of Match 3. For the first time in her career, Picklum has finished the season ranked World No. 1. The 22-year-old is the only woman with previous Finals appearance without a World Title, and today will look to change that.
On the men’s side Olympic Medalists, No. 5 seed Italo Ferreira (BRA) and No. 4 seed Jack Robinson (AUS), prepare to meet in Match 1. After four straight Finals appearances, the 27-year-old Robinson aims for this first World Title following his recent win in Tahiti that earned him his Final 5 spot. While the 2019 World Champion Ferreira hopes to earn his second Title. The 31-year-old kicked off the 2025 season with a strong start at Pipeline and an event win at Stop No. 2 in Abu Dhabi, but was unable to break past the Quarterfinals for the remainder of the year. The winner of Match 1 will meet No. 3 seed Griffin Colapinto (USA). For the first time in his career, Colapinto was in danger of the Mid-season Cut, and had to fight his way up the rankings following a string of early eliminations. Today, the 27-year-old looks for a maiden Title that would see him become the first Californian men’s World Champion since 1990. Match 3 will feature No. 2 seed Jordy Smith (RSA), and the winner of Match 2. Smith is no stranger to a World Title campaign, placing World No. 2 in both 2010 and 2016. The Tour’s oldest member at 37, Smith is one heat win away from the Title Match where No. 1 seed Yago Dora (BRA) awaits. 29-year-old Dora is in his seventh season on Tour, and earned his second and third CT events in Portugal and at Trestles. A Finals newcomer, Dora will wear the Yellow Leaders Jersey in the Title Match.
Updated Lexus WSL Finals Format Explained
For the fifth Lexus WSL Finals there are key changes to the format. The No. 1 ranked surfers, who are slotted directly into the Title Match, can now secure the World Title with a single heat win in Title Match 1. If the top-ranked surfer doesn’t win the first heat, it then reverts to a best two-of-three-heat showdown. This means if Picklum or Dora win the first Title Match heat, they will become the 2025 World Champion. Otherwise, a best-two-of-three battle will take place against their opponent.
Another update to the format this season provides the higher-ranked surfer starting each Match with predetermined priority.
The brackets are based on the surfers’ year-end rankings. Today’s matches will feature a traditional heat format, with two competitors seeking to lock in their two highest-scoring waves, each wave out of a possible 10 points for a possible 20-point heat total.
Watch the Lexus WSL Finals Fiji Presented by Corona Cero LIVE at WorldSurfLeague.com.
Lock-In Fantasy Picks
WSL Fantasy Pick ‘Em for the Lexus WSL Finals Fiji creates new points and leaderboards, offering players one final chance at glory. The format involves a modified bracket challenge with scoring based on the correct number of heat picks.
To play, pick each women’s and men’s Match Winner of the Lexus WSL Finals. Picks will remain open until the match starts and points are earned for each correct pick. Women’s and men’s picks are scored separately and added together for the total score.
For the complete rules and to make your picks, visit ctfantasy.worldsurfleague.com.
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