- Slow Conditions Prompt Off Day After First Three R/16 Heats
- Wilson Through to Quarters for First Time This Season
- Aussie Youngsters Book Into Quarterfinals at Strickland Bay
- More Available 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, only completed the first three heats of the men’s Round of 16 before going on hold and calling the competition off for the remainder of the day due to lack of swell on offer at Strickland Bay. The three heats saw Australians Julian Wilson, Morgan Cibilic, and Liam O’Brien book their spots into the Quarterfinals.
Wilson Through to Quarters for First Time This Season
The opening heat of the day saw two of the CT’s most experienced campaigners and perennial title threats, Julian Wilson (AUS) and Jordy Smith (ZAF), go head-to-head at Strickland Bay. There was a lot on the line for both surfers with Wilson still searching for his first Finals appearance of the season, while Smith was hoping to back up his runner-up finish at Margaret River with another solid result at Rottnest. It was a battle of tactics between the two with Wilson coming out on top. Wilson found the better set waves and leaned on some of the progression he is so well known for to take the win.
“I feel like I’ve gotten over a big lump just there,” Wilson said. “To let Jordy go on that wave at the end then have a really nice one come to me felt so good. It was fun to look for those sections on the right and go for some big airs. I’ve been looking at the rights for that all week and have only had a couple of good ones and I’ll continue to look at them for the remainder of the event. I’m excited to throw some airs and make some big scores. I’m really happy with how well my strategy worked and just happy to win that heat.”
Aussie Youngsters Book Into Quarterfinals at Strickland Bay
Injury replacement Liam O’Brien (AUS) continues his charge in his career-first CT event, making his way through the Quarterfinals by eliminating CT sophomore Seth Moniz (HAW) in Heat 3 of the R/16. As conditions slowed, it was clear that the surfer who made the least mistakes would walk away with the win. In the end, it was O’Brien who had the upper hand, leaving Moniz with an equal 9th place finish.
“I wasn’t really expecting to make a heat at this competition, so I’m stoked to have made it this far,” O’Brien said. “That was a really tough heat and it sucks when there isn’t a heap of opportunity, but sometimes that happens in surfing. It ended up being pretty tactical. I made a couple of mistakes, Seth made a couple of mistakes, then I got lucky and ended up coming out on top. It’s been cool to be here working with my coach Jay Thompson, we’ve known each other forever through Burleigh and he’s helped me develop from a junior into what I am today, so it’s crazy to be on the beach at a CT with him and to be into the Quarterfinals.”
2021 CT rookie Morgan Cibilic (AUS) continued his epic first-year run, booking himself a spot in the Quarterfinals after a win over Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA) in Heat 2 of the Round of 16. Cibilic’s tight frontside hacks and explosive backside re-entries continue to wow in the waves at Stickland and today was no different as Cibilic won the heat.
With conditions rapidly slowing over the high tide and the swell continuing to drop, event organizers decided to call the event off for the day after Heat 3 of the men’s Round of 16. With a more promising forecast for tomorrow morning, another call will be made at 7:15 a.m. AWST to resume the remaining heats of the Round of 16.
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 Men’s Round of 16 (H1-3) Results:
HEAT 1: Julian Wilson (AUS) 13.00 DEF. Jordy Smith (ZAF) 11.20
HEAT 2: Morgan Cibilic (AUS) 12.50 DEF. Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA) 10.77
HEAT 3: Liam O’Brien (AUS) 10.83 DEF. Seth Moniz (HAW) 8.10
Rip Curl Rottnest Search Remaining Men’s Round of 16 (H4-8) Matchups:
HEAT 4: Michel Bourez (FRA) vs. Miguel Pupo (BRA)
HEAT 5: Gabriel Medina (BRA) vs. Owen Wright (AUS)
HEAT 6: Conner Coffin (USA) vs. Mikey Wright (AUS)
HEAT 7: Italo Ferreira (BRA) vs. Adriano de Souza (BRA)
HEAT 8: Yago Dora (BRA) vs. Connor O’Leary (AUS)
Rip Curl Rottnest Search Women’s Quarterfinal Matchups:
HEAT 1: Malia Manuel (HAW) vs. Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS)
HEAT 2: Nikki Van Dijk (AUS) vs. Tyler Wright (AUS)
HEAT 3: Carissa Moore (HAW) vs. Isabella Nichols (AUS)
HEAT 4: Johanne Defay (FRA) vs. Amuro Tsuzuki (JPN)
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.
You must be logged in to post a comment.