Pictured: The Rip Curl WSL Finals was put on Yellow Alert for a probable start in the next 24 hours. Credit: © WSL
- Event Called OFF for Today, Next Call: Tomorrow, September 13, at 7:00am PDT
- Men’s and Women’s World Titles Awarded on the Same Day With Equal Prize Money
- More Available at WorldSurfLeague.com
The World Surf League (WSL) has put the World Title-deciding Rip Curl WSL Finals on Yellow Alert for a probable start within 24 hours from now. The forecast at Lower Trestles, San Clemente, CA looks very promising for the new single-day event format and the men’s and women’s WSL Final 5 are ready to face-off for the World Title. For the first time in history, the men and women will compete at the same venue in this one-day winner-take-all event to decide the undisputed 2021 World Champions. Tune-in tomorrow, September 13, at 7:00am PDT for the official call, where the competition could be ON at 8:00am PDT.
“We’re not ON for today, but we’re going on a Yellow Alert for a possible start tomorrow,” Said Jessi Miley-Dyer, WSL SVP of Tours and Head of Competition. “I’ve been waiting to say these words for a while now, so I’m really excited. The Yellow Alert is called 24 hours out from when we think we’ll start, so this is basically me saying that we think that tomorrow could be the day!”
All eyes will be on the Rip Curl WSL Finals and the world’s best surfers including Olympic gold medalists Italo Ferreira (BRA) and Carissa Moore (HAW). Ferreira and Moore have chance of winning back-to-back World Titles and making history by winning Olympic gold and becoming World Champions in the same year. As the men’s and women’s World No.1, Gabriel Medina (BRA) and Moore, have the advantage of a place in the best-of-three Title Match where the first surfer to win two out of three heats becomes the undisputed 2021 World Champion. Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) will also be fighting to become this year’s WSL Champion, which would mark her record-breaking 8th World Title.
The remaining WSL Final 5 surfers will enter the Rip Curl WSL Finals bracket based on their year-end rankings:
The Rip Curl WSL Finals Match-Ups:
- Women’s Match 1: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) vs Johanne Defay (FRA)
- Men’s Match 1: Conner Coffin (USA) vs Morgan Cibilic (AUS)
- Women’s Match 2: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) vs Match 1 Winner
- Men’s Match 2: Filipe Toledo (BRA) vs Match 1 Winner
- Women’s Match 3: Tatiana Weston-Webb (BRA) vs Match 1 Winner
- Men’s Match 3: Italo Ferreira (BRA) vs Match 2 Winner
- Women’s Title Match, Heat 1: Carissa Moore (HAW) vs Match 3 Winner
- Men’s Title Match, Heat 1: Gabriel Medina (BRA) vs Match 3 Winner
- Women’s Title Match, Heat 2: Carissa Moore (HAW) vs Match 3 Winner
- Men’s Title Match, Heat 2: Gabriel Medina (BRA) vs Match 3 Winner
- Women’s Title Match, Heat 3 (if necessary): Carissa Moore (HAW) vs Match 3 Winner
- Men’s Title Match, Heat 3 (if necessary): Gabriel Medina (BRA) vs Match 3 Winner
For more information, visit WorldSurfLeague.com.
Thank You To The 2021 Rip Curl WSL Finals Partners
The Rip Curl WSL Finals is proudly supported by Rip Curl, Jeep, Red Bull, Super 73, Shiseido, Oakley, DraftKings, Michelob ULTRA, IKEA, Expedia, Sambazon, Flying Embers, and Waterloo.
As the title partner of the event, Rip Curl will be helping WSL make history by crowning the undisputed world champions in this new one day event format. In partnership with Tilly’s, Rip Curl hosted a sweepstakes for a few lucky winners to get an all expenses paid trip to the Finals. Rip Curl will also be running a number of events for the San Clemente community during the event window, including working with Surfrider and WSL PURE on a beach clean up, hosting the Lineup Live, Rip Curl team signings and a live mural painting at the Rip Curl San Clemente retail location, and running surf and mentor sessions with the local boardriders youth club and Bethany Hamilton.
Long-standing WSL partners, Jeep and Red Bull, will also be activating on-site. Jeep will feature the all new Jeep Wrangler 4xe, and fans will be able to experience the vehicles up close and personal and learn about the power of electrification. As they do at every stop, Red Bull will build the Red Bull Athlete Zone on the beach – bringing a beautiful, isolated locker room area and warm up area plus an area for friends and family of each Finalist to relax and watch the contest. Red Bull also gifted each finalist custom Super73 electric bikes to enable the athletes to get to and from the break more efficiently.
To celebrate the first ever Rip Curl WSL Finals Oakley will be outfitting water safety and their ambassadors in eyewear, Michelob ULTRA Pure Gold will be on tap for event VIPs, Waterloo will keep fans hydrated by offering a selection of premium sparkling water and DraftKings, WSL’s first ever sports better partner, will be upping the stakes with a prize pool to be raised from $1K to $10K.
IKEA will have an activation in San Clemente showcasing select products from their new Kaseberga product line.The Kaseberga product line was designed for surfers in collaboration with the WSL. The Kaseberga products will be available in IKEA stores in April 2022.
Watch LIVE
The next call for the Rip Curl WSL Finals will be on Monday, September 13, at 7:00 am PDT. The event will be broadcast LIVE on WorldSurfLeague.com and YouTube, as well as the free WSL app. Check local listings for coverage from the WSL’s broadcast partners.
COVID-19 Updates
The health and safety of athletes, staff, and the local community are of the utmost importance and the WSL has been working closely with local authorities to put a robust set of procedures in place. This includes testing and advance screening protocols, physical distancing and limited personnel on-site.
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.
