- Women’s Elimination Round 2 Starts at 7:35 AM AWST
- Men’s Elimination Round 2 to Follow
- Women’s Round of 16 on Standby
- Watch LIVE at WorldSurfLeague.com
The Rip Curl Rottnest Search presented by Corona, the fifth stop on the 2021 World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour (CT) and the final event of the Australian leg, continues today with women’s Elimination Round 2 starting at 7:35 a.m. AWST, followed by men’s Elimination Round 2. The women’s Round of 16 will be on standby for a possible start today. The clean offshore winds continued into this morning with surf in the three-to-four-foot range.
“The waves have hung around for us this morning at Strickland Bay,” said WSL SVP of Tours and Head of Competition, Jessi Miley-Dyer. “We are going to start at 7:35 a.m. AWST with women’s Elimination Round 2, then straight into men’s Elimination Round 2. We have the women’s Round of 16 on hold and will get that underway if the waves continue to hang around. It’s expected to slow down throughout the day, so we will continue to monitor conditions.”
After feeling out the break for the first time in competition yesterday, competitors will do battle to make the most of their 35-minute heats to avoid the first eliminations of the Rip Curl Rottnest Search.
Current World No. 2 Tatiana Weston-Webb (BRA) will look for the same form that saw her take victory last week in Margaret River when she comes up against Nikki Van Dijk (AUS), and event wildcard Mia McCarthy (AUS). Losing in this round means an equal 17th place finish to end the Australian leg.
The opening heat of the men’s Elimination Round will be a battle of three generations as Californian youngster Griffin Colapinto (USA) takes on Jack Freestone (AUS), and surfing legend and event wildcard, Taj Burrow (AUS).
Watch LIVE
The holding period for the Rip Curl Rottnest Search presented by Corona is now open and runs through May 26. The event will be broadcast LIVE on WorldSurfLeague.com and the free WSL app. Also, check local listings for coverage from the WSL’s broadcast partners.
Although Rottnest Island will remain open for visitors while hosting the event, spectators will not be permitted at Strickland Bay as this will be a broadcast-only event to limit environmental impacts.
The Rip Curl Rottnest Search pres. by Corona is proudly supported by our partners Rip Curl, Tourism Western Australia, Corona, Red Bull, Oakley, Hydro Flask, Boost Mobile, Harvey Norman, Bonsoy, Dometic Outdoor, Bond University, Oakberry, Rottnest Island Authority and Rottnest Express.
For more information, please visit WorldSurfLeague.com.
Rip Curl Rottnest Search Women’s Elimination Round 2 Matchups:
HEAT 1: Tatiana Weston-Webb (BRA) vs. Nikki Van Dijk (AUS) vs. Mia McCarthy (AUS)
HEAT 2: Isabella Nichols (AUS) vs. Bronte Macaulay (AUS) vs. Brisa Hennessy (CRI)
Rip Curl Rottnest Search Men’s Elimination Round 2 Matchups:
HEAT 1: Griffin Colapinto (USA) vs. Jack Freestone (AUS) vs. Taj Burrow (AUS)
HEAT 2: Jeremy Flores (FRA) vs. Matthew McGillivray (ZAF) vs. Liam O’Brien (AUS)
HEAT 3: Caio Ibelli (BRA) vs. Peterson Crisanto (BRA) vs. Stuart Kennedy (AUS)
HEAT 4: Morgan Cibilic (AUS) vs. Jadson Andre (BRA) vs. Jacob Willcox (AUS)
COVID-19 Updates
The WSL continues to work closely with the West Australian Government and WA Police Department to monitor the COVID-19 situation both in WA, where competitors and staff are currently located, and in New South Wales, where they have traveled from. The Boost Mobile Margaret River Pro is prepared to operate in a ‘bubble’ should it be required. As a result of the COVID-19 contingency plans, there is no option to run the event at a mobile location outside of the main event site of Main Break and The Box, such as North Point in Gracetown.
The WSL will implement a robust and thorough COVID-19 health and safety plan for each event during the Australian leg of the CT in accordance with federal and state guidance. The WSL’s health and safety plan includes enhanced high-touch cleaning at the event site, contact tracing procedures, sanitizer stations throughout the event site, and minimal personnel on-site. All traveling athletes and support staff completed the mandatory 14-day hotel quarantine and received medical clearance from public health officials before entering the general community.
Due to COVID-19, the Australian CT events will run based on state border closures, strictly adhering to federal and state government guidelines and restrictions. All tour stops and dates subject to change due to applicable COVID-19 related restrictions, including global travel restrictions.
About the WSL
Established in 1976, the World Surf League (WSL) is the home of the world’s best surfing.
A global sports, media and entertainment company, the WSL oversees international tours and competitions, a studios division creating over 500+ hours of live and on-demand content, and via affiliate WaveCo, the home of the world’s largest high performance, human-made wave. Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, the WSL has regional offices in North America, Latin America, Asia Pacific, and EMEA.
The WSL annually crowns the men’s and women’s surfing World Champions. The global Tours and Competition division oversees and operates more than 180 global contests each year across the Championship Tour, the development tiers, including the Challenger, Qualifying and Junior Series, as well as longboard and big wave properties.
Launched in 2019, WSL Studios is an independent producer of unscripted television projects, including documentaries and series, which provide unprecedented access to athletes, events, and locations around the world. WSL events and content are distributed on linear television in over 743M+ homes worldwide and across digital and social media platforms around the world, including WorldSurfLeague.com.
WaveCo includes the Surf Ranch Lemoore facility and the utilizing and licensing of the Kelly Slater Wave System.
The WSL is dedicated to changing the world through the inspirational power of surfing by creating authentic events, experiences, and storytelling to inspire a growing, global community to live with purpose, originality, and stoke.
For more information, please visit WorldSurfLeague.com.
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