2023 World Title Race to Conclude at Rip Curl WSL Finals

LOWER TRESTLES, San Clemente, California (Thursday, August 24, 2023) - The World Surf League (WSL) Final 5 have been decided and are set to compete at Lower Trestles in San Clemente, California, at the Rip Curl WSL Finals, the one-day winner-take-all event to crown the World Champions. This year's WSL Final 5 features a mix of World Champions and Tour newcomers, all eager to take home the 2023 World Titles. The competition holds a window between September 8 - 16, and will run on the best day of waves determined by the WSL Tours and Competition team.

The Road To The Rip Curl WSL Finals: All Final 5 Seeds Locked, Battle For World Title Awaits

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It took till the last heat of competition of the '23 season to lock in all our surfers for the WSL Final 5. In a legendary day of competition, rookie phenom Caitlin Simmers charged her way to near perfection to lock in her spot. To make The SHISEIDO Tahiti Pro even more dramatic Western Australia's Jack Robinson came from a 16-point combo to best the 3x World Champ Gabriel Medina in a wild Final to take the last available spot on the men's side. Now the top 5 men and the top 5 women will battle it out for a World Title at the Rip Curl WSL Finals - Watch live September 8-16

Top 10 Surfers To Compete in One-Day Rip Curl WSL Finals

Each finalist earned their place in the Rip Curl WSL Finals based on competition results during the ten 2023 regular-season Championship Tour (CT) events. Now, the Top 5 men and the Top 5 women from those leaderboard rankings will battle it out for the World Title.

Five-time World Champion Carissa Moore (HAW) and defending World Champion Filipe Toledo (BRA) return as the top seeds. Moore will be joined by two-time World Champion Tyler Wright (AUS) and a field of up-and-coming women: Caroline Marks (USA), Molly Picklum (AUS), and Caitlin Simmers (USA), who are all hoping to earn their first World Titles.

Jack Robinson (AUS) will make his second Rip Curl WSL Finals appearance as he narrowly clinched a spot in the WSL Final 5 by winning in Tahiti. He will have to fight his way past Joao Chianca (BRA), Ethan Ewing (AUS), and San Clemente's own Griffin Colapinto (USA) in order to meet Toledo in the Title Match.

Last year's competition saw Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) win her historic eighth World Title after starting the event as the No. 5 seed, showing all Final 5 contenders what's possible in the WSL Finals.

What You Need To Know - Rip Curl WSL Finals 2023

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This is what everything has been building towards all season. After 10 events, the World Title will be decided in a one-day, winner-take-all event. The top five men and top five women enter, and after 12 must-see heats, one male and female surfer will rise from Lower Trestles as this year's World Champions.

Rip Curl WSL Finals: How It Works

The World No. 1 ranked male and female surfer will both receive a bid directly into the Title Match, a best two-of-three-heat showdown to determine the World Champion. The remaining surfers will enter the Rip Curl WSL Finals bracket based on their year-end rankings.

Each Match will be a traditional heat format where two competitors will have 35 minutes to lock in their two highest-scoring waves, each wave out of a possible 10 points for a possible 20-point heat total.

Match 1 for the women will see two new faces to the Rip Curl WSL Finals in rookie Caitlin Simmers (USA) and Molly Picklum (AUS). For the men, Match 1 will see Jack Robinson (AUS) up against CT sophomore Joao Chianca (BRA). The No. 4 seed will have predetermined priority over the No. 5 seed to start the Match. This was an update made before the start of the 2023 CT season in the off-season. Match 1s will be the only heats that will have the predetermined priority.

Whoever wins Match 1 will then advance to face World No. 3 in Match 2: Caroline Marks (USA) for the women and Ethan Ewing (AUS) for the men.

The winner of Match 2 will then face off against the No. 2 ranked surfer: Tyler Wright (AUS) for the women and Griffin Colapinto (USA) for the men. The winner of Match 3 will then move on to the best-of-three Title Match where they will face World No. 1, Carissa Moore (HAW) and Filipe Toledo (BRA). The first surfer to win two out of three Title Matches becomes the 2023 World Champion.

The crowning of the 2023 World Champions will immediately follow the final Title Match of the day.

About the Host Venue: Lower Trestles in Southern California

Due to its unique cobblestone setup, Lower Trestles is one of the most high-performance and iconic waves in the world. The A-frame wave provides a natural arena for the world's best to showcase their talents and put on one final performance of the year. The venue also allows fans to watch their favorite surfers compete up close and personal.

Virtual Eye: Rip Curl WSL Finals - What Makes Lower Trestles So Special?!

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Take a deeper dive into one of Southern California's best waves and how it operates. Who will be crowned World Champion at the 2023 Rip Curl WSL Finals? Watch live September 8-16.

For more information, visit WorldSurfLeague.com.

Watch LIVE
The event window for the Rip Curl WSL Finals opens on September 8 and holds a competition window through September 16, 2023. The event will be broadcast LIVE on WorldSurfLeague.com, the WSL's YouTube channel, and the free WSL app. Check out more ways to watch from the WSL's broadcast partners.

The Rip Curl WSL Finals is proudly supported by Rip Curl, SHISEIDO, Yeti, Red Bull, Surfline, True Surf, Pura Vida, 805 Beer, Pacifico, Sambazon, Original Sprout, Turtle Bay, Boxed Water, Tudor, Candy Crush, and Cup Noodles.

For more information, please visit WorldSurfLeague.com.