HONOLUA BAY, Maui, Hawaii/USA (Monday, December 2, 2019) Stephanie Gilmore’s event win marks her fifth victory in Maui (2007, 2008, 2009, 2017, 2019) and the 31st CT win of her career, besting her own record. The Australian took down the now four-time WSL Champion Carissa Moore in the Semifinals, Marks in Quarterfinals, and Wright in the Final.
“I found myself sitting there in good positions in the lead next to these girls and it just brought back these thrilling feelings and memories of being in World Title races,” said Gilmore. “There is so much on the line and I think I just kicked into a new gear. Amazing event and year for everybody. And, of course, it is so good to have Tyler back. I could not have thought of a better person to share the Final with. She is surfing better than ever so I cannot wait to see her next year and sure you will be as dangerous as ever.”
Gilmore’s success today sees her finish the season in fourth place on the Jeep Leaderboard. Although not in Title contention at this event, Gilmore is ready for battle in the upcoming year with the new CT season and the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
“Congratulations to Carissa and to Caroline,” continued Gilmore. “Caroline Marks is an incredible asset to our sport and has so many future years and multiple World Titles to come, I can see it already. Congratulations to all the girls and to all the Olympians. See you in Tokyo. This has been a monumental year for us with equal prize money. It has done so much more for women in sport, and women in all kinds of industries in the workplace around the world, to show people what should be normal, that equality should be normal. I am really proud to be a part of that and to have the WSL lead the way in that way. That is really special.”
This was Tyler Wright’s first CT event after a 17-month recovery from illness. In her competitive return, the two-time WSL Champion upset the World Title race by eliminating Peterson. Today, Wright took down Tatiana Weston-Webb (BRA) in the Semifinals and Johanne Defay (FRA) in the Quarterfinals. Falling one score shy of the win over Gilmore, Wright showcased her incredible power-surfing and will be the one to beat in the coming year.
“I feel very lucky and grateful to be here today,” said Wright. “It was only a couple of months ago that I was still in a rough place. I would love to thank the people who have helped me get here today. A lot of that is my girlfriend, Alex. She has been there the entire time for me. She saw it all. She saw the worst of the worst and to be here today, to be surfing, and to be happy and healthy, it was a rough one and I am so enjoying this moment. To see all the girls qualify for the Olympics and to see the first year full year of equal pay, that is a huge moment in our sport. To sit on the sidelines and watch that, I became a huge fan of this sport. I want to thank everyone that has taken part in that.”
Surfing will make its Olympic debut in Tokyo in 2020 and the 2019 WSL CT was a crucial qualification pathway for the world’s best surfers. Following the season finale in Maui, the WSL rankings have determined the first eight eligible women to qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, subject to all qualified surfers meeting the ISA’s and IOC’s eligibility requirements and being selected by their respective National Olympic Committee.
The eight provisional qualifiers are:
USA – Carissa Moore and Caroline Marks
Australia – Stephanie Gilmore and Sally Fitzgibbons
Brasil – Tatiana Weston-Webb and Silvana Lima
France – Johanne Defay
Costa Rica – Brisa Hennessy
lululemon Maui Pro Final Results:
1 – Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 14.16
2 – Tyler Wright (AUS) 9.67
lululemon Maui Pro Semifinal Results:
SF 1: Tyler Wright (AUS) 13.00 DEF. Tatiana Weston-Webb (BRA) 7.33
SF 2: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 15.94 DEF. Carissa Moore (HAW) 15.07
Women’s 2019 Jeep Leaderboard (after lululemon Maui Pro):
1 – Carissa Moore (HAW) 59,940 points
2 – Caroline Marks (USA) 55,454 points
3 – Lakey Peterson (USA) 55,125 points
4 – Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 49,810 points
5 – Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 48,950 points
6 – Tatiana Weston-Webb (BRA) 41,560 points
7 – Courtney Conlogue (USA) 41,080 points
8 – Johanne Defay (FRA) 38,085 points
9 – Malia Manuel (HAW) 35,155 points
10 – Nikki Van Dijk (AUS) 28,625 points
For highlights from the lululemon Maui Pro, please visit WorldSurfLeague.com.