Connor O’Leary in the Semifinals at the Corona Cero Open J-Bay. Photo by Alan Van Gysen//World Surf League
Hawaii’s Gabriela Bryan won a nail-biter final over world number one Molly Picklum, and Connor O’Leary collected his first career Championship Tour win at J-Bay Friday. With J-Bay wrapped up now just the Tahiti Pro is left to determine who will compete in September’s WSL Finals Day at Cloudbreak.
When competition opens at Teahupo’o, four men’s spots and two women’s spots will be up for grabs in that WSL Finals event. Yago Dora clinched a spot for Cloudbreak with his runner-up finish at J-Bay along with taking the yellow jersey from current world number two Jordy Smith. Meanwhile, Molly Picklum is set on the women’s side to compete at the WSL Finals while Caity Simmers secured a spot with a quarterfinals appearance at J-Bay, and Bryan’s win not only took back the yellow jersey but also locked in her Finals Day ticket.
“From last year, where I think I missed out by one heat, and now to do it with one event left in the regular season. I get to go back to Fiji, one of my favorite places in the world, to compete for a world title, it’s mind-blowing. It’s been a great day. I knew that waking up, that’s it’s going to be a huge day no matter what,” Bryan said after beating Picklum in the women’s final.
She took the lead on her last wave of the heat with just five minutes to go — a 6.93 that ran all the way down the point into Impossibles. While it may not have been a buzzer-beater, it left Picklum with priority and a chance to take the lead as the clock wound down. The score finally came down with 90 seconds to go in the heat, announcing that Bryan had taken the lead. Finally, with just 10 seconds, Picklum let one final wave pass by and left the broadcasters wondering if she should have taken a swing at the potential heat-stealer.
On the men’s side of the draw, O’Leary’s win didn’t have the same WSL Finals implications. It was O’Leary’s first career CT win and first trip to an event final since his 2017 rookie campaign. O’Leary had been sitting at number 15 in the rankings and still sits outside of the top 10 overall, leaving him too far down the leaderboard to have eyes on a ticket to Fiji when competition kicks off in Tahiti next month. Still, the win is a milestone and a rare one at that for goofy-footers at J-Bay.
“I intended to do some of the best backhand surfing you’ve ever seen, and to compete with a fellow goofy in the Final, hopefully it inspires other goofy-foot surfers that they can compete against the best in perfect right-hand point breaks,” he said.
