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San Clemente’s Griffin Colapinto wins big at Surf Ranch Pro

San Clemente surfer Griffin Colapinto had a plan – just go for it.

“Go all out as hard as I can,” Colapinto said after knocking Brazilian Filipe Toledo, who also calls San Clemente home, out of the running at the Surf Ranch Pro in Lemoore, a two-day event held in a wave pool about four hours from Southern California.

“My mentality was just go for it,” he said in an interview with World Surf League.

And that is just what Colapinto did during the finals against Brazilian Italo Ferreira, a world champion surfer known for his powerful, explosive surfing.

The contest brought the top competitive surfers to the man-made wave near Fresno, the sixth stop on the World Tour and a critical event leading to the world championship showdown in September at Lower Trestles, just south of San Clemente.

Points from the event count not just for World Tour rankings, but also are Olympic qualifications for surfers to earn a spot to compete in 2024 for the sport’s second appearance at the games.

Caroline Marks, a Florida transplant who now lives in San Clemente, matched up in the finals against five-time world champion Carissa Moore, who eventually took the win in the event.

“Shout out out to the fans, this was a fun event,” Marks said. “Super stoked to be a part of it, it was awesome.”

Following the event, Ferreira congratulated Colapinto and the other competitors on the winner’s stage.

“You guys put on a performance,” said Ferreira, who on Aug. 4 will be inducted into the Surfers’ Hall of Fame in Huntington Beach. “Thank you to all the fans for all of the vibes, let’s keep going.”

Colapinto admitted it had been a long route to the finals, practicing six days at the wave that runs 700 yards in both directions.

Griffin Colapinto, of San Clemente, en route to the win at the Surf Ranch Pro at Lemoore, California, a two-day event held May 27 - 28, 2023. (Photo by Pat Nolan/World Surf League)
Griffin Colapinto, of San Clemente, en route to the win at the Surf Ranch Pro at Lemoore, California, a two-day event held May 27 – 28, 2023. (Photo by Pat Nolan/World Surf League)

But during his final, Colapinto’s combination of big power surfing, deep barrels and progressive aerials gave him high scores, enough to overtake his opponent. He earned a high 9.07 and a 8.70, over Ferreira’s 8.43 and 8.70, a tight match up that could have swung in either direction.

“This wave pool contest, it’s so difficult,” Colapinto said, noting that he was losing confidence heading into the event.

“I got over that hurdle, from there took it all the way,” he said. “A lot of hard work went into this.”

The Surf Ranch Pro is Colapinto’s third Championship Tour win of his career.

Colapinto’s win puts him at the top spot of the rankings, making him the No. 1 ranked surfer in the world, a spot earned by making several finals throughout the competitive year.

He admitted he felt a range of emotions throughout the event.

“Sometimes you can turn that into a power,” he said. “I felt like I was able to do that – and I got the trophy.”

Winning in his home state of California was an added perk.

“I’m just so psyched, all my friends and family are here. To win it in front of them was just insane,” he said, giving his nana and grandpa at home a special mention.

“There’s so many people I want to thank,” he said, “you know who you are and I love you guys.”


Source: Orange County Register

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