Kanoa Igarashi’s qualification for the 2022 Rip Curl WSL Finals was one of the most exciting moments of the entire season. Sitting on priority for no less than 20 minutes without taking a single wave, facing elimination and the end to his season, Igarashi swung around at Teahupo’o with a 9.70 in the final minute of his Round of 16 heat against Jadson Andre.
It was clutch. But Igarashi had already quietly had a rollercoaster season leading up to that moment. He became the first-ever Japanese surfer to wear the yellow jersey after finishing second at Sunset. Things looked good after a run to the quarters in Portugal, then instantly didn’t feel so great when he lost to Mick Fanning in the Round of 32 at Bells. In June, Kanoa and Griffin Colapinto turned in the heat of the year at the Surf City El Salvador Pro, literally going punch for punch in a quarterfinal that saw multiple lead changes down the stretch. Kanoa dug a rail on what would have been the heat-winning wave and Colapinto took the momentum of that win all the way to his second victory of the season. So it was a touch ironic that when the tour got to Tahiti, Colapinto and Igarashi were jockeying for the final spot in the top five and a trip to Trestles for the WSL Finals.
“I remember reminding myself, ‘Yeah, you’re ready for this. You were built for this,'” he says, reflecting on the do-or-die heat against Andre. “I remember thinking ‘I just want to see the scariest wave. At least if I fall, it’ll be punishing or, if not, I’m gonna have the ride of my year and it’d make history.”
