Simmers Goes Back-to-Back, Claims First Women’s Final 5 Slot While Ferreira Earns Emotional First Victory on Home Soil, Moves Into Top 5.
Caity Simmers (USA) and Italo Ferreira (BRA) won the VIVO Rio Pro Presented by Corona, Stop No. 8 on the World Surf League (WSL) 2024 Championship Tour (CT). Praia de Itaúna provided clean and consistent, though largely straight, waves in the four-to-six foot range that allowed Simmers to claim back-to-back wins and deliver Ferreira his dream victory on home soil.
The win clinched a position in the Lexus WSL Finals for Simmers, the first woman to claim a slot. Simmers and John John Florence (HAW) will carry the yellow Leader’s jerseys into the final event of the regular-season, the Corona Fiji Pro Presentedby Bonsoy, as they hold their positions on top of the rankings.
As the race for the Final 5 continues, a Semifinal finish from Gabriela Bryan (HAW) saw her trade places with Johanne Defay (FRA), placing Bryan in No. 5 and Defay in No. 6. Meanwhile, Ferreira jumped back into the Top 5, in the No. 4 position, knocking Ethan Ewing (AUS) into No. 5, while Yago Dora’s (BRA) Semifinal win over Jordy Smith (RSA) sees the Brazilian in No. 6 and the South African down to No. 7.
SAQUAREMA, RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - JUNE 28: Caitlin Simmers of the United States surfs in Heat 3 of the Quarterfinals at the VIVO Rio Pro on June 28, 2024 at Saquarema, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Daniel Smorigo/World Surf League)
SAQUAREMA, RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - JUNE 28: Caitlin Simmers of the United States after winning the VIVO Rio Pro on June 28, 2024 at Saquarema, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Thiago Diz/World Surf League)
Simmers Goes Back-to-Back, Remains Undefeated in Brazil
Simmers successfully defended her 2023 VIVO Rio Pro title, leaving the Californian undefeated in Brazil. It is the fifth CT win, the third of the season, for the 2023 Rookie of the Year, who is competing in just her second year on Tour, and sees her with a significant ranking lead over World No. 2 Caroline Marks (USA). Her backhand in beach breaks over the past two seasons has proven to be near unstoppable, earning her the trophy in the 2023 MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal, along with the two victories in Brazil.
“I’m feeling really good right now,” Simmers said. “I surfed with my good friend that I have been surfing with since I was really young. We live 20 minutes away from each other and it was kind of a surreal moment for us both. I’ve been feeling really good this event. My whole family is here and I’ve really just been enjoying it.”
Once again the deep bottom-turns and impeccable timing of Simmers delivered an exciting and dynamic performance as she came up against Sawyer Lindblad (USA), a fellow 18-year-old from Southern California, whom she has been competing against since her pre-teen days. Applying pressure right from the start of the Final, Simmers sold her friend on a lemon, then immediately picked up two high 7-point rides, requiring a combination of two scores from Lindblad before the CT Rookie could even find a single score of note. The Final finished similarly to how it started, with Simmers’ 15.50 heat total standing and Lindblad closing with just a 3.26 two-wave total.
“Honestly everything kind of went my way that heat,” Simmers said. “Me and Sawyer were kind of joking about it at the end, like everywhere I sat there was a wave, which is just crazy. Good job to Sawyer, she’s one of the greatest surfers and she got me last time in Tahiti and that was probably the most painful loss I’ve ever had, so I’m definitely glad I got her, but we’ll have a dance-off later, so that’ll settle it.”
SAQUAREMA, RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - JUNE 28: WSL Champion Italo Ferreira of Brazil surfs in Heat 1 of the Semifinals at the VIVO Rio Pro on June 28, 2024 at Saquarema, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Daniel Smorigo/World Surf League)
SAQUAREMA, RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - JUNE 28: WSL Champion Italo Ferreira of Brazil after winning the VIVO Rio Pro on June 28, 2024 at Saquarema, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Thiago Diz/World Surf League)
Ferreira Claims Emotional First Victory on Home Soil, Moves Into Top 5
After a slow start to the season that saw him narrowly making the Mid-Season Cut, Italo Ferreira (BRA) claimed his second victory of the year, his ninth overall, which pushed him into the Top 5 where he now sits in No. 4 headed in the final event of the regular-season. The 2019 WSL Champion and Olympic Gold Medalist, who collected the two highest heat totals of the event on his way to the Final, famously learned to surf on a cooler lid in his home of Baía Formosa, where he grew up with very little. His first-ever victory on home soil drew strong emotions from the 30-year-old, especially as he celebrated on the beach with his father.
“I’m emotional right now because I would love to win this comp for my dad, he’s one of my biggest inspirations in life,” Ferreira said. “We came from the bottom and then right now we’re on the top, so I just want to say thank you God for everything, my family, friends. I was dreaming for this moment right now. This is a special one.”
Coming up against the defending event winner, Yago Dora (BRA), who consistently delivered some of the best performances of the week, Ferreira didn’t hold back, aiming for the stars from the start of the Final. An early air reverse combo on his forehand earned a 7.00, which held as the high point, while Dora was unable to find more than single maneuvers, leaving the pair in fairly equal standing. A right late in the heat opened up for Ferreira to punch multiple backhand hits, but an incomplete finish kept the score low, leaving the door open. Dora launched a giant air reverse, easily a heat-winner, but he was unable to ride out and Ferreira successfully closed out another major victory.
“That was a really, really special event,” Ferreira said. “On the beach, outside, in the water. That’s going to be one of my best victories for sure.”