Today Stephanie Gilmore and Griffin Colapinto have taken out the Surf City El Salvador Pro, the seventh stop on the World Surf League Championship Tour.
The competition wrapped up in three to five-foot conditions at the famed point break Punta Roca; with their victories, Gilmore and Colapinto both move into the WSL Final Five in the leadup to the WSL Finals Series.
This also marks seven-time champion Stephanie Gilmore’s 33rd CT Victory, once again breaking her own record for the most women’s CT Wins. Gilmore defeated Lakey Peterson (USA) in the Final, Caroline Marks (USA) in the Semifinals, and Isabella Nichols (AUS) in the Quarterfinals. The seven-time World Champion showcased incredible surfing throughout the event and capitalized on her affinity for right-hand point breaks. Gilmore now moves up to the WSL Final 5 in third place from seventh, putting her campaign for her eighth World Title back on track.
“Muchas gracias, El Salvador, this is amazing,” said Gilmore. “Once I got past Caroline (Marks), I was super confident and I knew I could do it. Lakey (Peterson) is an amazing surfer, so I knew it was going to be a tough Final but it doesn’t get any better. I love doing this. I love winning, I love doing this sport. We get to travel and surf fun waves. That’s pura vida. I would love to win another World Title but it’s a long road. There’s a lot more competition to be surfed and a lot of hard work to do, but this is just an amazing experience and I’m so happy to be here.”
Griffin Colapinto solidified the best year of his professional surfing career with a second win on the CT in 2022. Colapinto was a standout in the three days of competition, and his prominence came to a crescendo in the dying minutes of the heat to overcome World No. 1 Filipe Toledo in the Final.
“It’s so crazy,” said Colapinto. “I was so baffled we were tied. I was just thinking it can’t end this way, I have to figure it out and comeback performances are what I dream of so if I’m in that position I just love it. Filipe (Toledo) and I have had some bouts, he got me at G-Land so I’m psyched to get him back here but he’s been surfing so good. On that 9.57 I just thought that’s Filipe doing his typical stuff. This Final feels better than Portugal so I’m just soaking it in.”
