Picklum completed an insane year and Robinson came up huge when it counted. Photo: WSL
The conditions were unreal throughout. And the performances were certainly up to par at the WSL’s Tahiti Pro this week, as Jack Robinson and Molly Picklum both stepped up in the biggest of ways at Teahupo’o, capturing huge wins at one of the Championship Tour’s most important waves.
Picklum continued a fantastic year, with her second event title (Rio), to go along with three runner-up finishes (Abu Dhabi, Trestles, J-Bay). Her backside barrel riding throughout the contest was on another level, no doubt. But the final wasn’t as cut and dry as the score made it appear. Picklum managed to combo Caity Simmers. But Simmers packed a sizable barrel, where she rode deep in the cylinder in what must have been an unreal vision, navigating the foam ball before getting closed out on. It was a wave that might have hit the 10-point mark if she’d made it.
Picklum will go into Fiji numero uno, Gabriel Bryan is seeded third and Simmers remains at the number three spot. Caroline Marks and Bettylou Sakura Johnson round out the top five.
Jack Robinson did Jack Robinson things: he showed up when he needed to most, just as he’s done most of his career, be it qualification as a youngster, his previous win in Tahiti, or this time, securing a spot in the Final Five at Cloudbreak with a must-have win to jump into the championship field. With the gigantic trophy, Robinson secured the number four seed later this month in Fiji, surpassing Italo Ferreira (five seed) and knocking Ethan Ewing out of contention. Runner-up Griffin Colapinto secured the number three spot, Jordy Smith goes in at number two and Yago Doro is still wearing the yellow jersey.
The event in Tahiti definitely started with a bang. A day before the contest window opened, an “inordinately large” incoming swell made landfall, giving freesurfers some of the best waves of their lives.
And so it went throughout the waiting period. The conditions were truly “Dream Tour”- like. WSL heads navigated the swell periods with aplomb, with mostly head-high (or higher) barrels on offer, and really special conditions (the summer South Pacific winds were nothing if not kind). Tahiti got to show off in all its glory for the second time in less than a year (Paris, 2024).
And Fiji just got really, really interesting.
