Even though this Tournament of the World Surf League has been popular in the last recent years and more women been participating in sports which it has been a great journey for all athletes that can do anything to live up their dreams. While its on the final day of the WSL Tournament of the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach Tournament, the weather started off cloudy with some rain showers and cloudy during the rest of the tournament with both men and women have advanced to the finals, with world surfers #1 Griffin Colapinto on the men’s side and Johanne Defay on the women’s side. With 4 to 6 foot waves and a maximum temperature of 62 degrees Fahrenheit, or 16 degrees Celsius, the waves were ideal.
During the Women’s Semifinals of Heat 1 we got Johanne Defay of France vs Bris Hennessy of Costa Rica. It started when Johanne Defay got a late start on the outside but managed to take the snap turn as she made a rippable pace with good timing with the curve maneuver. When she was about to get her last wave section which carelessly lost control of her surfboard and got the score of 6.50. When Brisa Hennessy got her top performance, she started off with a late take off as she controls it over the whitewaters goes out in front of the big section on the outside as she lands it perfectly on the snap, but couldn’t hold on as she goes to the bottom and jams it off the whitewaters with a score of 5.17. When Brisa Hennessy got her best performance, she started off with a nice swerve through the waves on the inside as she made a nice clean Arc off the top walls with a nice hammer to keep the rail out of the water from digging. When she did a into the pocket cool forehand slash by hoping the board to gain speed as she winds up for the end section with a tap right away with a score of 6.93. When Johanne Defay got her best performance when she started off with a nice curve through the waves as she connects off the lip well on top of the whitewaters, the moment she rode on the waves took the layback flow as she did the exact same ending like Griffin Colapinto did which wraps up with a dive off her surfboard by getting a score of 7.03. It was tough battle for the Women’s Semifinals of Heat 1 and the winner goes to Johanne Defay of France with 13.55, while Brisa Hennessy of Costa Rica got 12.10. It was a big challenge as the improvement continues to get excited for women to expand the sport of surfing around the globe and continues to embrace young generations of surfers.
During the Women’s Semifinals of Heat 2 we got Caitlin Simmers of the United States vs Caroline Marks of the United States. It started off when Caitlin Simmers took the underhand with a nice carve on the whitewaters, as she stayed on the inside took a hop to speed through the waves as she cracks it up into the lip and took a small curve for the open swing. She kept her rail engaged on the crisp board throwing down on the open face on the outside, which she was able to turned this mediocre wave into something incredible but fall off her board by having the best score of 7.00. While Caroline Marks started with the riding waves close to the outside as she took the incredible two sets of the turns with a backhand hack She was about to get her last wave but sadly faded the turns which she had to step off as she turned her board with a score of 3.67. When Caitlin Simmers took the speed after the whtiewaters on the outside, she rolled down to get a cut back to kick off the tail out with a nice fly to the outside as she leaped towards that oncoming section and drills it by flowing the waves. When the waves gained momertum on her surfboard, she wraps it up with a patience riding through the shallow waves and took a nice turn by the end section with a score of 6.93. Lastly, Caroline Marks started off with a backhand throw down a snap and ends up hanging on that big turn to get the long ride all the way the shore while riding her surfboard laying on her stomach with the score of 5.57. The winner of the Women’s Semifinals of Heat 2 goes to Caitlin Simmers of the United States with 13.93, while Caroline Marks of the United States got 9.24.
Men’s Semifinals
During the Men’s Semifinals of Heat 1 we got Matthew McGillivray of South Africa vs Cole Houshmand of the United States. It all started with Matthew McGillivray did a nice zig zag turn when the waves took over and had some power moves with a nice Ultra Consistent on his baord, he did an underhand curve on the inside to make it unpredictable, and wrapped it up with a nice release in the tail by getting a score of 6.17. By the time it was Cole Houshmand’s turn to take the big one, he started off when he got the underhand turn with a nice spin at the first section, did a nice turn squares up the section turn. He also did a nice carve before the third turn and did a terrific zip zag to the inside tags it along the currents but had a late wipeout. It was overall one of the best performances with a score of 6.77. Then Matthew McGillivray was about to do another nice stunt with the first carve but shortly hang on the board to move on the outside and missed
the ultimate opportunity with a score of 1.60. When Cole Houshmand got his next best performance, he started off with a nice attack on the whitewaters as he tried to make a smooth flow of the waves, as he got the nice carve but the waves slowly lost the energy, but Houshmand hasn’t give up as he hoped the board to go faster with one last speed to make a nice turn with a flare on the tail by getting thescore of 6.17. When the two men give handshakes for the great run as the time was over, The winner of Heat 1 of the Men’s Semifinals is Cole Houshmand of the United States with 13.14, while Matthew McGillivray of South Africa got 7.77.
During the Men’s Semifinals of Heat 2 we got Griffin Colapinto of the United States vs Rio Waida of Indonesia. It started off with Rio Waida by getting the open exchange of the waves as he got an amazing hang ten on the tail release with a great arm extension when he got his 2″‘ turn. He also did some venom on the outside with a nice curve cutting back with the flow and wraps it up with a great maneuver by getting a score of 6.93. Then Griffin started off with a nice flow down the waves as he swerves the board to get the first wave. Griffin also got a terrific rail Surfer as he holds on for a jet stream with a massive searing cut down to get his last wave, he was about to derailed the board but for somehow, he managed to hang on as he got the layback hack for the turbulent water under him with the ultra-high risk for the critical nature. He did an outstanding performance as he got a score of 8.50 from a massive performance that no other surfers can do. When Griffin Colapinto has tried to get next best performance, he started off with a terrific carve, as he did a quick underhand into the pocket flow as he made amazing vertical turns drifts up the tail release over the last section. He wrapped it up with a circle symbol and hoped off the board with a dive by getting a score of 8.33. When Rio Wiada got his best performance, he started off with a great carve to the outside as he pushes himself to fight through the waves and swings back to the inside with a nice curve after his 2’d section. Rio has taken a hind line on top of the waves and has build up speed to hold on the tail as he swings his tail around the waves and wraps it up with the amazing curves from the fins coming free on the outside. He also did a transition of quickness between maneuvers as the very end as he spanned the board halfway and kept it straight as he rides the waves into a fin drift. When he jumps back on the board, his outstanding performance will give him with a score of 7.60. The Final Results of Heat 2 of the Men’s Semifinals is Griffin Colapinto of the United States with 16.83, while Rio Waida got 14.53 as both players did an outstanding performance in the semifinals.
Women’s Finals
During the Women’s Finals we got Johanne Defay of France vs Caitlin Simmers of the United States. While Johanne Defay of France gets to be the star of the France 2024 Summer Olympics in the Women’s Tournament, while Caitlin Simmers of the United States gets to make it to the finals at 18 years of age which its an incredible milestone for her as both of these women have their own interesting facts. It all started when both surfers had struggled to get the best waves in the first 20 minutes until Johanne Defay got her best performance with 12 minutes left on the clock. It started when Johanne Defay did some nice curves on the outside from the stand up waves, as she made some taps from the currents while took the carves with a nice wrap in the pocket with a good clean turn. Johanne wraps it up with a nice maneuver for a strong balance through the whitewaters and stays on her board with a score of 5.67. When Johanne Defay got her best performance, she started with the power of priority to get the speed on the inside and maneuvered her board to get her first clean turn curve which made her kicked the tail for a difficult turn. While getting her 2″ curve, she did a nice in the pocket as the waves started to flatten her performance, she took the open face and hopped her board to gain speed and did the forehand hook with a nice turn on the inside and wrapped it up by getting the race track to the belt off the lip and kept her feet in motion with a score of 5.93. When Caitlin Simmers got her top performance by getting the waves down to the inside, which she managed to get her 1 section with a terrific curve on the inside to the outside. She snaps her way through the currents, which made the wave carves through the crease on the inside to the back into the pocket. Caitlin has made some adiustments with the curves through the waves and sets the rail through the tail, as she wraps it up with a wave curve to get the score of 6.10. Lastly, Caitlin Simmers got one more chance to get a good wave which she was able to get the best wave at the buzzer beater mark to wrapped the Women’s Finals Tournament. She started off with a paddle from the huge wave with 15 seconds left, as she took the fast wave on top of the whitewaters, and took off with an excellent curve to go off the top with a big first section. While the waves faded out, she took the ride to go through the inside to make a curve. As the buzzer started, she rode the waves on the outside and took all of her mighty strength to get power by getting her last section and landed off the top and rides it away while celebrated her victory with a score of 6.67. It was a great battle in the Women’s 2024 Bells Beach Pro Surfing Tournament and both surfers had their accomplishments with the best surfing performance and the winner of the Women’s Rip Pro Bells Beach of 2024 goes to Caitlin Simmers of the United States with 12.77, while Johanne Defay of France got 11.60. While most of the fans gathered towards Caitlin Simmers while both of them made incredible performances in the Finals Round and all of the fans cheered for them.
Fun Highlights of the Finals Day
Men’s Finals
During the Men’s Finals its Griffin Colapinto of the United States vs Cole Houshmand of the United States. Both American surfers in the men’s Finals has to compete against to each other in order to win the Bells Pro Trophy. It started off with Cole Houshmand with the best performance by getting the underhand spin as he falls the arcing curve into the pocket while the rookie player made an incredible move by making the S symbol as he maneuvered the board, while throw off water to the top. As he got a nice rhythm attacking the lip when he took a nice turn close to the outside of the whitewaters and rode down staying his flow with couple of nice board maneuvers by rail to rail to stay patience. He took the risk of getting the extra vertical turns as he throws it off the top and shuts it down with a score of 7.00. When Griffin Colapinto got his best performance as he started off riding on the inside wave and did a nice clean wrapping cutback with the S symbol, then he made his body facing the wave and use his awareness with the details of the whitewaters and the end section which no other surfers can reassure the interest of the details, as he drive off the bottom and did a massive big fin throw into a powerful reverse with a score of 6.50. Then Cole Houshmand did an underhand turn as he turn his board for a snap carve on top of the whitewaters, he did like 4 coal ride straight ups to the lip as he made an interesting transitional float at the halfway mark with a score of 6.50. Lastly, Griffin took the ride on the inside of the waves and has to make a huge turn to get the win, which got the big blast coping off the wind-up vertical climb on the outside, as he drove down into the open face with the cut back leaned his board which he reminds confident and controlled. His ability of surfing has thrown a wrap there made a snap turn to keep going for the hop of the board as the waves faded out and took one last turn of the section and close it out with a snap to slide by getting a score of 5.87.
It was a great battle for the Americans in the Men’s 2024 Bells Beach Pro Surfing Tournament and both surfers wanted to wait at the Beach to wait for the final results and the winner is Cole Houshmand of the United States with 13.50, while Griffin Colapinto of the Untied States got 12.80. Cole Houshmand cheered excitedly while he threw his surfboard to the beach It was a tight battle but both of them made incredible performances in the Finals Round and all of the fans cheered for them. As all of the of fans cheered for Cole Houshmand, he wrote on the shoulder while he hold the American Flag and went to the stage to get the 2024 Bells Beach Trophy. Cole Houshmand was also awarded as the 2024 Bells Beach Men’s Goofy Footer since Italia Ferreira back in 2018.
During The Epilogue Moment of the Top 2 Finalists of male and female in the ceremony trophy. The Host Joe Turple has introduced Corrina Eccles Proud Wadawurrung Woman and the Community Dancers to do the traditional Aboriginal Dance. Corrina Eccles also talked to her fans about Wadawurrung Country Language to them understand the translation of the meaning of the aboriginal language to understand it in English. She also did an amazing speech about to proud First Nations perspectives and the beautiful country of Australia while presenting the ceremony. Then she sang the Australian Tradition Song in Wadawurrung Language and thanked her community for the love and support of the Bells Beach Event in the state of Victoria. When the ceremony was done, Joe Turple thanked Corrina Eccles and the dancers for welcoming the award presentation with the traditional ceremony and sponsor Bonsoy to acknowledge and support the people of Wadawurrung Country. He also acknowledged that Wadawurrung Country people as the traditional owners of the land and waterways of the land today. Wadawurrung was originally known as Djarruk which it stands for Bells Beach of today. When Joe was ready to announce the top finalists of the Bells Beach Awards Trophy, he started off with that it was the longest event tournament on the calendar also known that it was the 61st Edition of the event and 50th that Rip Curl’s been for the event at Bells Beach. It also experienced a lot of surfing history and evolution of pro surfing. He lastly, cheered for the locals that participated in the event like Ellie Harrison and Tully Wylie while all of the fans cheered for them as the wildcards. Joe also wanted to thank the Bells Therapy from Joe Sweeney for the tradition to keep it alive, also thanked the people of Rip Curls like Brooke Ferris the CEO. He also thanked the people of Victoria and the Victorian Government who along side with the WSL and confirmed that it will run the annual tournament going through 2028. Joe thanked all of the sponsors that brought in the help to support World Surf League. He wanted to thanked Surfing Victoria Adam Robau and the crew of Kale Bell Warren, included the local community for showing the event every year and it has gets better with more people getting interacted with Surfing as a growing sport at Winky Pop. Before he announce the finalists to get on stage for the Bells Trophy, he wanted to give a warm welcome to Renato Hickle who helped out the Bells Beach Event as the Director and Tours the Competion for 36 years to do the honors of the trophy. Doug Claw Warrick will also bring out the trophy as he is one of biggest longtime fan and Brooke Harris the CEO of Rip Curls. Corrina Eccles and Anthony Hume included the dancers will do the Oka Markings on the winners while the finalists gets on stage to get the Bells Trophy.
To start off the first champion of the Final, gets to be the famous surfer world #1 and it goes to Griffin Colapinto to ring the bell in front all of fans to watch the moment. Joe Turple interviews Griffin Colaptino about the life of surfing and competing against his brother Crosby and winner Cole Houshmand which Griffin told Joe that he started surfing when he was 10 and lived in the same town with Cole Houshmand. Then Joe announced the first woman to get on the staged which she won the Portugal Event like Griffin did and her first finals event at Bells Beach which she is the Women’s World #2 surfer goes to Defay Johanne. Johanne Defay rang the bell to her fans and gets an interview with Joe about her accomplishments of winning the Quarterfinals. She also mentioned that she enjoyed surfing for Bells Beach and loves to do again for next year and talked about her experience of surfing in Portugal and Bells Beach. She also gets to surf for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris for her home Country. Afterwards, Joe announced the winner of the 2024 Men’s Rip Curls Pro Bells Beach and it’s someone who is a rookie on tour who was behind the cut before this tournament and got mid season cut to make it all of the playoff rounds as he get his first win of his career which it goes to Cole Houshmand. Cole Houshamnd got excited and pointed out to all of his fans for Celebrating his victory as Anthony gives him sunscreen to rub it on his face as the winner gets to take the giant Bells Beach Trophy. Cole proudly rang the bell with all of his muscle and lifted the trophy to roar the fans. As Joe Turple interviews Cole Houshmand, he told him about the excitement of lifting the Bells Beach Trophy and Cole Houshmand told him that it’s better than visualization of the trophy as he dreamed about it in the last 2 to 3 weeks. Joe also told him that he made to the Top 10 as world #8 which he moved up 18 spots after this tournament as Cole laughed about moving up to #8 after his first career win. He also mentioned about the idol surfers like Gabriel Medina, Kanoa Igarashi, Ethan Ewing and his best friend Griffin Colaptino in the Finals as he completed his goal to compete all of the heats of the Playoff Bracket. Lastly, Joe asked him that he’s going to be famous on the walk of fame when he comes back to Bells Beach down the staircase with all of the legends of winners when we comes back for 2025. Cole Houshmand felt pleased about the idea to one of most iconic events and thanked all of his fans and friends who supported him all the way to the Finals to get the Bells Beach Trophy. Last but not the least, Joe Turple has announced the winner for an all California Sweep as he got ready to announced for the 2024 Women’s Rip Curls Pro Bells Beach, and it goes to someone who gets to surf for the professionals at a young age and dedicated to get the win as it goes to Caitlin Simmers. When Caitlin Simmers got on the stage, Corrina Eccles and the young girl stand by to give her sunscreen to rub it on her face as the winner rings the Giant Bells Beach Trophy. The whole crew helped her did the honors to ring the bell and Cole Houshmand helped her lifted the trophy which she finished off with ringing the bell with all of her muscle to excited her fans. As Joe Turple interviews Caitlin Simmers about her journey to the Bells Beach Tournament, he explained to her about catching the waves and waited to get the best one at the very last second for the buzzer from runners up to becoming the Champion of the Women’s Tournament. Caitlin Simmers told him that it was luck that the last wave came out naturally as Johanne Defay also did great with her performance. She also talked about the waves were much more of a grindy finals with little amount of waves instead of a Classic Bells Finals where you get to have huge waves and the amazing carves. Overall, she was speechless and couldn’t describe the best way to win the finals as she gets the last wave with some good section turns through the ocean. She was thankful for her fans, family came in to support her by giving her all of the luck. Joe Turple also reminded her that she made to the World #1 at the young age and put into words as well of the good feeling about moving up something really huge. Lastly, Brooke Harris the CEO of Rip Curls give all of the finalists the trophy and give a hug or pat in the back which that wrapped up the 2024 Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach of Victoria, Australia.
Back at the Studio to wrap up the WSL Post Show, we got Ronnie Blakey, Felicity Palmateer and Richie Lovett talked about the highlights like the rankings, the best Top 10 results of the Women’s Championship Tour and Men’s Championship Tour, especially the Daily Dose of the Top 5 Best Highlights of the 2024 Rip Curls Pro Bells Beach Tournament which we got at #5 the Hells Bells from the best stunts from the return of Kelly Slater, Gabriel Medina, Jordi Smith, Tyler Wright and Sally Fitzgibbons. At #4 we got the highlights of the Colapinto Brothers Competition Face Off in the Round of 16. While at #3 we got the local star Ellie Harrison with some amazing wild waves in her playoffs run from the Round of 16 to the Quarterfinals against Johanne Defay which she did outstanding as her fans cheered for her performance. At #2 we got Caitlin Simmers vs Johanne Defay in the Finals with Caitlin Simmers getting her best performance at her final turn with the buzzer to get the victory. At #1 we got Cole Houshmand vs Griffin Colapinto with Cole Houshmand the Rookie Player which he played a wicked
0 Comments