The World Surf League has named Caitlin Simmers and Ian Gentil Rookies of the Year for their performances on the 2023 Championship Tour. As the WSL outlined in a press release, both surfers have had impressive records over the course of the year, with Simmers dominating her inaugural season and Gentil coming back from a close scrape with the mid-season cut to finish stronger than ever.
The 17-year-old Simmers came out swinging for her first CT run. She won the MEO Rip Curl Portugal and the VIVO Rio Pro, then finished second at the SHISEIDO Tahiti Pro. At the end of the season, she was ranked fourth overall. Her CT result has also provisionally qualified her to compete in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
On the men’s side, Ian Gentil finished the season ranked 14, the highest of the men’s rookie class. Gentil almost fell victim to the mid-season cut, but hung in long enough to secure a a semifinal finish in El Salvador, followed by a quarterfinal finish at J-Bay.
