Tyler Wright falls short of back-to-back World Surf League wins as Carissa Moore gets better of old rival
A familiar sight greeted longtime observers of the World Surf League as former world champions Tyler Wright and Carissa Moore paddled out at the 2023 Margaret River Pro. The old rivals and friends had previously contested 11 Championship Tour finals; the pair’s 12th encounter went Moore’s way at Main Break on Friday afternoon, her ninth career win over Wright in an event decider.
Any disappointment for Wright, who was seeking back-to-back wins after successfully defending her Bells Beach crown earlier this month, might have been tempered by her ascension to top spot in the rankings, despite the defeat. Previous tour leader Molly Picklum failed to progress past the quarterfinal stage at the event in Western Australia and slipped down to third, behind Moore who moved up into second place.
“I haven’t been in that [No 1] position for a long time,” said Wright. “I really like what I’m doing at the moment. It’s been an amazing last few events. It didn’t go great for me in that final, but I’ve had a wonderful week, a wonderful Australian leg.”
Moore’s victory was her second in succession over Wright in a final, after she got back to winning ways against the Australian in the Pipeline final earlier this year, having lost the pair’s previous three encounters in rivalry that that stretches back over a decade of elite surfing.
In the final at Margaret River, both surfers struggled to post high-scoring rides, and Moore was in the box seat after compiling a two-wave total of 11.10. Wright needed a score of 6.53 on her final ride to secure victory, and she took off on a big wave with just 60 seconds remaining.
The Australian completed her first two manoeuvres and was lining up for another when she was forced to bail as the wave closed out. It meant Wright had to settle for a score of 4.60 on that ride, handing Moore her third Margaret River Pro crown, and a first since 2014.
“It feels amazing,” Moore told the WSL broadcast. “It’s been nine years since the last time I won this event, and I was beginning to think I couldn’t do it again.”
In the men’s event, three-time world champion Gabriel Medina produced a standout display in his final showdown against Griffin Colapinto to take out the title. The Brazilian beat compatriots Brazilians Filipe Toledo and Joao Chianca on Friday morning to secure a spot in the decider but it was merely a taste of what was to come.
The 29-year-old saved his best for last, producing rides of 9.50 and 8.00 in the decider to tally a two-wave total of 17.50. It proved far too much for Colapinto, who fell well short with a total of 12.27.
“It means a lot to me,” Medina told the WSL broadcast. “It’s pretty special to win here. It’s an event that I always struggled [at]. It’s a really hard wave to surf, and that was really challenging me. I’m happy with my improvement.”
The hopes of Australian duo Ethan Ewing and Connor O’Leary were ended at the quarter-final stage. Queenslander Ewing, who won the Bells Beach crown earlier this month, was outpointed by Florence 14.83 to 11.23, while O’Leary was blown out of the water by world No 1 Chianca 11.24 to 5.50.
The title win moved Medina from 11th to seventh on the world rankings ahead of the Surf Ranch Pro in California, starting on 27 May. Australia’s Jack Robinson, who missed the Margaret River Pro with a knee injury, slipped from second to third overall, while Ewing dropped from fourth to fifth.