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On finals day Supertubos morphed from the cruel and junky lottery dip it had been for most of the event into something more closely approximating the cylindrical promise of its name. Portugal is a sound venue, but surely we should also see the WSL return to the French Beach Breaks of Biarritz. They fired this season for the locals and would make a fitting venue for a final-five, Finals day in September 2024.

Forgetting location debates, Joao Chianca seems to have shown that his red-hot start to the 2023 year is more than just a lucky streak. After semi-final finishes in the two opening events, last year’s mid-season-cut-casualty now has his maiden CT victory and a firm grip on the number two slot, with Filipe Toledo miles back in third. Meanwhile, Jack Robinson’s second place finish ensures he retains the yellow jersey going into Bells.

In the MEO Rip Curl Pro, Portugal Chianca powered to victory with a list of scalps that proves he can handle both wily veterans and celebrated young guns. Slater, Ewing, Callum Robson and ultimately Jack Robinson were left in Chianca’s wake as he combined committed tube riding with his trademark, high-energy lip attack. At times one wonders if Chianca will run out of steam, but right now there seems to be twenty percent more energy in every turn than his competitors and it’s making a difference. He is like the terminator – unstoppable.  Crucially, Chianca’s enthusiasm for the lip is matched with sufficient precision and his commitment to the barrel is complemented by a high-degree of technical ability (his heavily-stalled backside take-offs were a treat to watch and proved to be crucial).

At one point in the final Chianca had undisputed barrel maestro Jack Robinson in a heavy combo and any tube duel win over Robinson is a considerable achievement.  While other surfers prefer to sit patiently and be more selective about their rides, Chianca seems to be at his best when he has the option to catch multiple waves and manufacture a rhythm. In the end Chianca could have won the final with any three of his back-up rides after locking in a 9.07. It’s arguable that Jack used up most of his mojo in a glorious semi-final grudge-match with training partner Yago Dora, but, despite retaining the yellow jersey, Jack will be disappointed the irrepressible Chianca upstaged him in a barrel-battle.

Elsewhere, Australian, Callum Robson again showed his propensity for snuffing out the best pits with a semi-finals berth and the highest scoring barrel of the day – a 9.57 double-foamball-drainer in his quarter-final against Samuel Pupo. The result should once again secure ‘Caltex’s’ standing on the right side of the mid-year cut and he is a classic example of a surfer who is making the most of his ability through the right combination of training, strategy and bold moves.

Medina and Italo are still in the mix but seem to have lost their ability to overwhelm competitors the way they once could, while John John also needs a good result to shift the momentum of his campaign.  Rio Waida’s quarter-final finish warrants a mention and with close to 300 million people in Indonesia he is quietly moving towards becoming the biggest surfer in the world in terms of fan base. Yet we do not have a CT event in Indo?????   Want some numbers WSL? There they are.    

In the women’s even we witnessed both the maiden victory of a young surfer destined for dizzying heights and the return to form of a veteran who was underwhelming in a Hawaiian leg that suited her approach. The surfing world is smitten with Caitlin Simmers. At 17 she is looser and more radical than any other surfer on the women’s CT and her freesurfing clips make fellow competitors shudder when they contemplate what she is capable of pulling off in a heat. We saw a glimpse of her full potential in Portugal, but even surfing within herself, Simmers frequently offers a little more than her opponents with each turn. 

Out of the water Caitlin has a quirkiness and deadpan honesty that endears her to fans and for one so young she is handling the limelight with maturity and poise.

In the final Simmers showed her propensity for composure. Despite spending much of the heat in a combination situation she was able to artfully outpoint Conlogue with a comeback victory. At first glance Simmers’ glare-obscured rides might not have appeared so impressive but once subject to the scrutiny of the replay it was clear that the degree of difficulty, commitment and variation in the turn angles warranted the scores. Simmer’s surfing has the audacity of punk rock and the flow of classical compositions. Marry the two and it’s quite an act.

For Conlogue it was a bittersweet result. It was a welcome return for the ‘sea tiger’ to the finals bracket, but after securing a nine-point barrel ride early in the heat she had plenty of time to find a backup and clinch the win. In the end a few final-section in-completes proved costly. Molly Picklum retains her yellow jersey, while Simmers (surely a favourite at Trestles) jumps to third behind Carissa Moore. Conlogue is still the wrong side of the cut-line but closer to confirming her position for the latter part of the year. For those gossip hounds that love to follow the unfolding WSL soap opera there were also plenty of juicy, sideline antics. Perhaps the most melodramatic moment came when the mercurial Italo Ferreira, who infamously put the ‘break’ in behind the scenes TV show ‘Make or Break’ failed to make it through his round 16 heat against Yago Dora. In a flashback to Narrabeen 2021, Italo once again went controversially  ‘incomplete’ on a wave that would have given him the score to progress in the final moments. As the camera crew scrambled to capture the volcanic response of Italo they were greeted by his manager holding a stiff arm and a curtain across the entry to the competitor’s area, making sure that no Kung fu tanty would be shared with a global audience. There was also Samuel Pupo’s Brazilian dancing in a post-heat interview and Peter Mel’s frank admission that he doesn’t play video-game ‘True Surf’  (nor do I) after Kaipo put him on the spot and asked him how good he was at it?  Ahh, I guess those cross-promos don’t always come off and you gotta appreciate Pete’s honesty.  

Finals Results
Men’s Final
Joao Chianca – 17.57
Jack Robinson – 15.14
Women’s Final
Caitlin Simmers – 13.50
Courtney Conlogue – 12.83
Men’s Semi-Finals
Heat 1
Joao Chianca – 17.10
Callum Robson – 10.17
Heat 2
Jack Robinson – 16.17
Yago Dora – 12.40
Women’s Semi-Finals
Heat 1
Courtney Conlogue – 12.27
Tatiana Weston- Webb – 11.73
Heat 2
Caitlin Simmers – 13.00
Macy-Jane Callaghan – 6.04
Men’s Quarter-finals
Heat 1
Joao Chianca – 13.00
Connor O’Leary – 12.27
Heat 2
Callum Robson – 15.40
Samuel Pupo – 13.33
Heat 3
Jack Robinson – 13.50
Rio Waida – 5.67
Heat 4
Yago Dora – 11.33
Griffin Colapinto – 7.47