Erin Brooks & Griffin Colapinto claim historic WSL Fiji Pro win
Erin Brooks, from Canada, and Griffin Colapinto from the United States, triumphed at the first WSL Fiji Pro in seven years in the World Surf League (WSL) 2024 Championship Tour.
Despite a decrease in wave size, the finals day displayed flawless waves, pushing the athletes to deliver exceptional performances at the renowned Cloudbreak.
17-year-old Erin Brooks created history as the first Canadian to win a Championship Tour event, showing dominance right from her debut.
Brooks skilfully navigated through Cloudbreak’s waves, defeating ranked number four Molly Picklum in the semi-final before securing a dominant victory against Brazil’s Tatiana Weston Webb in the final.
“I just feel so good, and I am so thankful for this win,” Brooks said.
“I feel so thankful for the opportunity to even come to this contest and compete at a Wildcard.
I was putting pressure on myself at the start, and I just needed to relax and have fun surfing with all my heroes.
Everyone here was focusing on their Final 5 spots, and I just needed to focus on having fun and getting good waves.”
World Surf League Fiji Pro Highlights
On the men’s side, bookmaker favourite Griffin Colapinto from San Clemente claimed his fifth CT event by defeating Indonesia’s Rio Waida, scoring 12.80 over Waida’s 10.17 in a tense final.
Colapinto’s win at his Fiji event showcased his refined backhand technique and helped him secure second place as he heads to California for the WSL Finals in September.
“This means a lot to me,” Colapinto said.
“With this being such a world-class wave and a lefthander, it gives me a lot of gratitude for all the training I’ve done in my life and all of the time I’ve put into my backside surfing.
I wasn’t that confident about my backside, and I’ve worked on it a lot, so to win here surfing like this feels amazing.
I’m feeling like I’m building now, and my surfing is in a good place, so I’m excited to head home and start planning for the Finals.”
The top 5 from the men’s and women’s sides will now compete for the 2024 World Title at the WSL Finals, where it all comes down to one day with the winner takes all stakes at Lower Trestles beach.
WSL Final 5 Women
WSL Final 5 Men
WSL Fiji Pro Women’s Final Results
1 – Erin Brooks (CAN) 15.10
2 – Tatiana Weston-Webb (BRA) 12.33
WSL Fiji Pro Men’s Final Results
1 – Griffin Colapinto (USA) 12.80
2 – Rio Waida (INA) 10.17
WSL Fiji Pro Women’s Semifinal Results
HEAT 1: Tatiana Weston-Webb (BRA) 14.83 DEF. Tyler Wright (AUS) 6.67
HEAT 2: Erin Brooks (CAN) 15.26 DEF. Molly Picklum (AUS) 11.80
WSL Fiji Pro Men’s Semifinal Results
HEAT 1: Griffin Colapinto (USA) 11.90 DEF. Jack Robinson (AUS) 9.10
HEAT 2: Rio Waida (INA) 16.26 DEF. Ethan Ewing (AUS) 15.17
WSL Fiji Pro Men’s Quarterfinal Results
HEAT 1: Griffin Colapinto (USA) 13.83 DEF. Gabriel Medina (BRA) 10.16
HEAT 2: Jack Robinson (AUS) 12.33 DEF. Yago Dora (BRA) 11.60
HEAT 3: Rio Waida (INA) 12.83 DEF. Imaikalani deVault (HAW) 11.27
HEAT 4: Ethan Ewing (AUS) 15.50 DEF. Barron Mamiya (HAW) 9.97