-Edited- The Corona Open J-Bay today was held today the WSL says “with six-foot perfect rights peeling down the famed South African point break” at Supertubes.
World Champions John John Florence (HAW) and Filipe Toledo (BRA) put on an absolute clinic on their forehand while sharing the lineup in separate heats.
Both surfers found the near-perfect end of the judging scale, 9.63 for Toledo and 9.23 for Florence. However while Toledo managed to advance with another big number on the board, Florence was eliminated in the dying moments by Connor O’Leary (AUS).
Reigning World Champion, Filipe Toledo, (BRA) posted an impressive 17.56 heat total to advance ahead of rookie Rio Waida (INA) into the Quarters. With a guaranteed equal fifth place, Toledo has officially clinched his spot in the WSL Final 5 for an opportunity to defend his world title at the Rip Curl WSL Finals at Trestles in September.
“I’ve been waiting for that call,” Toledo said. “All the hard work, all the sacrifices, hours of traveling, all those airplanes and all the money spent make that extra special. I’m really happy, coming from an injury in Rio, I’ve still got all the tapes on my knee trying to hold it together to make sure I got a result here. I knew I was close to clinching it but I was trying to control those feelings and I feel super blessed.”
Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA) h provisionally qualified through the WSL CT to represent his country at the Olympic Games Paris 2024. Fioravanti’s ninth-place finish at the Corona Open J-Bay ensures he will be one of the 18 surfers to provisionally qualify through the WSL CT. The 25-year-old, currently ranked ninth in the world, will represent his country in the Olympics for a second time. He competed at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as an injury replacement for Jordy Smith (RSA).
“Being an Olympic athlete is a dream come true,” Fioravanti said. “It’s a dream to have another chance to represent my country at the next Olympics and hopefully I can bring a medal home.”
In the women’s heats fve-time World Champion, Carissa Moore, (HAW) faced a challenging Elimination Round battle against Johanne Defay (FRA) and came out triumphant despite complicated circumstances. After a good start, the Hawaiian fell on a set wave and broke her board, forced to swim in over the rocks before running up the point where new equipment was waiting.
Moore wasted no time to regain her composure and found a clean wall to slice through with her powerful carves to post an excellent 8.50 (out of a possible 10) and take the lead. She then closed the door on Defay with another spectacular combination of turns in the lip to seal her Quarterfinal berth.
“I’m actually kind of grateful it happened to me again, and my team and I were better prepared than last year,” Moore explained.
Former event winner, Stephanie Gilmore, (AUS) defeated an in-form Tatiana Weston-Webb (BRA) in a must-make Elimination Round heat between the two surfers currently tied 6th on the rankings just outside the WSL Final 5 cutoff. Despite the Brazilian’s highest-scoring ride of 8.00, it was Gilmore’s impeccable flow and technique on the long rights that built up to a higher heat total of 14.37 (out of a possible 20).
“There’s a lot of water moving but it’s just perfect, pumping J-Bay,” Gilmore said. “That’s what we come here for.. That was a crucial heat with all of us sitting in the same zone. It’s just such a fantastic wave, the feelings that you get when you ride out there are pretty hard to describe.”
Molly Picklum (AUS) and tour veteran Lakey Peterson (USA) picked up the remaining two spots into the event’s Quarterfinals.
It was however, the WSL says, a “brutal day for the South African Contingent on Home Turf…the three remaining South African guys “were sent packing”. Event wildcard Adin Masencamp (RSA) was eliminated by the reigning event winner Ethan Ewing (AUS). J-Bay local Matthew McGillivray (RSA) fought tooth and nail for a spot into the Round of 16 against Barron Mamiya (HAW) but his final effort came just 0.11 shy of the requirement.
Two-time event winner Jordy Smith (RSA) advanced through his morning Elimination Round heat with a brilliant display of rail surfing on a wave he knows better than most, but couldn’t keep the ball rolling against Ewing later in the day and bowed out in equal ninth.
Sarah Baum (RSA) is the last South African athlete in the draw on finals day when she takes on Carissa Moore (HAW) in the Quarterfinals.
The next call is tomorrow, 19 July at 7:15 am. GMT +2.
Corona Open J-Bay Women’s Remaining Opening Round Results
HEAT 3: Tyler Wright (AUS) 14.90 DEF. Tatiana Weston-Webb (BRA) 14.36, Johanne Defay (FRA) 13.10
HEAT 4: Caroline Marks (USA) 17.80 DEF. Bettylou Sakura Johnson (HAW) 15.00, Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 10.50
Corona Open J-Bay Men’s Elimination Round Results:
HEAT 1: Ethan Ewing (AUS) 14.73 DEF. Adin Masencamp (RSA) 8.50
HEAT 2: Connor O’Leary (AUS) 18.24 DEF. Callum Robson (AUS) 10.33
HEAT 3: Jack Robinson (AUS) 13.00 DEF. Kelly Slater (USA) 12.76
HEAT 4: Barron Mamiya (HAW) 11.33 DEF. Matthew McGillivray (RSA) 11.23
HEAT 5: Ryan Callinan (AUS) 15.60 DEF. Seth Moniz (HAW) 12.73
HEAT 6: Jordy Smith (RSA) 17.50 DEF. Caio Ibelli (BRA) 15.03
HEAT 7: Ian Gentil (HAW) 14.70 DEF. Italo Ferreira (BRA) 13.47
HEAT 8: Kanoa Igarashi (JPN) 15.73 DEF. Liam O’Brien (AUS) 14.90
Corona Open J-Bay Women’s Elimination Round Results:
HEAT 1: Carissa Moore (HAW) 16.27 DEF. Johanne Defay (FRA) 13.63
HEAT 2: Lakey Peterson (USA) 13.67 DEF. Caitlin Simmers (USA) 8.33
HEAT 3: Molly Picklum (AUS) 14.90 DEF. Bettylou Sakura Johnson (HAW) 12.74
HEAT 4: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 14.37 DEF. Tatiana Weston-Webb (BRA) 12.40
Corona Open J-Bay Men’s Round of 16 Results:
HEAT 1: Ian Gentil (HAW) 15.43 DEF. Griffin Colapinto (USA) 14.30
HEAT 2: Gabriel Medina (BRA) 16.83 DEF. Ryan Callinan (AUS) 16.03
HEAT 3: Ethan Ewing (AUS) 16.23 DEF. Jordy Smith (RSA) 14.37
HEAT 4: Connor O’Leary (AUS) 17.47 DEF. John John Florence (HAW) 17.23
HEAT 5: Filipe Toledo (BRA) 17.56 DEF. Rio Waida (INA) 11.67
HEAT 6: Jack Robinson (AUS) 14.00 DEF. Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA) 13.54
HEAT 7: Kanoa Igarashi (JPN) 13.74 DEF. Joao Chianca (BRA) 12.67
HEAT 8: Yago Dora (BRA) 14.00 DEF. Barron Mamiya (HAW) 11.03
Corona Open J-Bay Women’s Quarterfinal Matchups:
HEAT 1: Tyler Wright (AUS) vs. Gabriela Bryan (HAW)
HEAT 2: Caroline Marks (USA) vs. Lakey Peterson (USA)
HEAT 3: Carissa Moore (HAW) vs. Sarah Baum (RSA)
HEAT 4: Molly Picklum (AUS) vs. Stephanie Gilmore (AUS)
Corona Open J-Bay Men’s Quarterfinal Matchups:
HEAT 1: Ian Gentil (HAW) vs. Gabriel Medina (BRA)
HEAT 2: Ethan Ewing (AUS) vs. Connor O’Leary (AUS)
HEAT 3: Filipe Toledo (BRA) vs. Jack Robinson (AUS)
HEAT 4: Kanoa Igarashi (JPN) vs. Yago Dora (BRA)
