Now for the Olympics

OYMPIC TIME: The Surf Ranch Pro is the last WSL event before the Olympics. Photo WSL / Heff

Johanne Defay (FRA) and Filipe Toledo (BRA) won the Jeep Surf Ranch Pro presented by Adobe today, the sixth stop on WSL tour and the final event before surfing’s Olympic debut in Tokyo next month.

Defay defeated reigning four-time WSL Champion Carissa Moore (HAW) by less than half a point in a hard-fought final. The pair of Olympic qualifiers traded eight-point rides but it was Defay’s excellent 8.70 that sealed the win. The victory sees Defay move up from fifth to second place in the world and one step closer to securing her spot in the WSL final 5.

Defay’s result is the fourth CT win of her career, her best result of the season and her second final at the Ranch. Runner-up Moore remains World #1 and has officially clinched her spot in the WSL final 5 where she will compete for the World Title at the Rip Curl WSL finals in September.

GHOST IN THE MACHINE: Toledo tucks up tight in another perfect peeling tube. Photo WSL / Heff

Toledo, the form surfer of the event, stormed to victory with a dominant performance in Lemoore. Toledo faced compatriot Gabriel Medina (BRA) in the all-Brazilian final and a rematch of the past two event finals. This time though, Toledo’s near perfect 9.67 followed by an excellent 8.27 were too much for the two-time WSL Champion.

The win, Toledo’s second of the year, sees him move to third place on the WSL rankings behind reigning WSL Champion Italo Ferreira (BRA), who finished in equal 9th. Runner-up Medina, who has already clinched his spot in the WSL final 5, won this event in 2018 and 2019. His runner-up finish marks his fifth final out of six events this season.

Four Olympic qualifiers went head-to-head in the women’s semifinal with Moore and Defay advancing to the final each with an excellent 8.50. Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) and Tatiana Weston-Webb (BRA) finish the event in equal third place. Fitzgibbons, who started the event as world #2, after a win in Rottnest, moves down one place to third. Weston-Webb goes down from third to fourth, also with one win so far this season.

ENGINEERED SCORE: Johanne Defay's compact style is suited to the Surf Ranch Photo WSL / Heff

The men’s semifinals saw eight surfers compete for a place in the final. Kanoa Igarashi (JPN) missed out on a final berth by less than one point and went home in equal 5th place, which moves him up three places to sixth on the WSL leaderboard. Igarashi will now reset and focus on his Olympic campaign.

Yago Dora (BRA) put down the highest single-wave score of the event, a near-perfect 9.73 in the semifinals, but could not find the score on the right to back it up and finished the event in equal 5th place. Dora came into stop #6 ranked at 10th place in the world and today’s result is his best of the season, moving him up two places to eight in the world.

The next stop on the 2021 CT is the Corona Open Mexico presented by Quiksilver, which runs from August 10 to 20, 2021.

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Men’s final
1. Filipe Toledo (BRA) 17.94
2. Gabriel Medina (BRA) 10.60

Women’s final
1. Johanne Defay (FRA) 16.63
2. Carissa Moore (HAW) 16.23

Men’s semifinal
1. Filipe Toledo (BRA) 17.74
2. Gabriel Medina (BRA) 18.10
3. Kanoa Igarashi (JPN) 16.93
4. Griffin Colapinto (USA) 16.50
5. Adriano de Souza (BRA) 14.47
6. Yago Dora (BRA) 13.06
7. Ethan Ewing (AUS) 12.77
8. Kelly Slater (USA) 11.53

Women’s semifinal
1. Johanne Defay (FRA) 16.07
2. Carissa Moore (HAW) 15.90
3. Tatiana Weston-Webb (BRA) 15.77
4. Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 15.33

WSL Women's Championship Tour Leaderboard Top 5
Carissa Moore 43,855 pts
Johanne Defay 34,635 pts
Sally Fitzgibbons 34,270 pts
Tatiana Weston-Webb 33,625 pts
Stephanie Gilmore 29,390 pts

WSL Men's Championship Tour Leaderboard Top 5
Gabriel Medina: 46,720 pts
Italo Ferreira: 33,555 pts
Filipe Toledo: 32,065 pts
Morgan Cibilic: 24,610 pts
Griffin Colapinto: 22,235 pts