Although Steph went down to Courtney Conlogue in Heat 2 of the Quarter Finals, it was Carissa Moore’s victory over Tyler Wright in the Finals that was the decisive factor in crowning Stephanie Gilmore as the Women’s World Tour Champion.
After Portugal, Moore found herself knocked out of contention for the title, she came to the event feeling confident and looking to have fun. “Of course I was really bummed that I fell out of the Title race in Portugal,” she said, “but I came home for a month and relaxed and spent time with my family. I just wanted to have fun at this last event. This morning I actually teared up because I felt it, I felt really good about this event. It was a tough year but I’m really happy to finish it off like this.”
This is Carissa’s third win of the season, and more importantly, the first time a Hawaiian has triumphed at Honolua Bay.
“This is definitely one of the best wins I’ve ever had,” said Moore. “To have it here at home in front of my whole family means so much to me.”
For Stephanie Gilmore, her second place finish put her in the winner’s circle for the World Championship. With her sixth title, Gilmore has cemented herself even more firmly in the annals of professional surfing, and proved that once again, she is the best female surfer in the world. This was an especially important event for her, as she won her first world title at Honolua Bay. “That was probably the most emotional I’ve ever been watching someone else surf in my life,” Gilmore said of the Final. “I know how focused Tyler (Wright) is and I was completely prepared for a surf-off. However, I also knew how incredibly capable Carissa (Moore) is at virtually every venue. I feel like I had a year’s worth of emotions packed into one heat.”
