The WSL Finals ran for the final time this week. Next year, we return to a tried and true format of points collected during a season-long run determining the world champ. Say what you will about the Final 5’s legitimacy for determining surfing’s world champion the past five years, but it’s hard to argue (objectively) that the event didn’t provide some entertainment.
For the finale at Cloudbreak, Italo Ferreira initially looked like he might make another big run. Then it looked like Griffin Colapinto was going to do the same. Ditto for Caroline Marks, who surfed six heats throughout the day and caught 27 waves by the time it was all said and done. But both yellow jerseys fought off the upsets in the end and the two surfers who won the overall points race in 2025, fittingly won world titles.
Yago Dora’s win continues a run of Brazilian dominance on the CT. Gabriel Medina captured the nation’s first world title in 2014, and in the 11 championship tour seasons since, only John John Florence (3x) has thwarted the Brazilian storm. Dora joins Medina (2014, 2018, 2021), Adriano de Souza (2015), Italo Ferreira (2019), and Filipe Toledo (2022, 2023) on that now-historic list.
Meanwhile, Molly Picklum is relishing a win that felt destined.
“This kid’s a world champion,” she wrote on Tuesday. “I’ve heard people say ‘you can only win your first world title once.’ And OMG… I’m grateful I let go, had fun and just went after it Molly’s way because that’s what made it so damn sweet.”
Amen. So enjoy 14 images from the day at Cloudbreak that put an end-cap on an era of professional surfing.
