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Cole Houshmand of San Clemente wins the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach finals on April 3, 2024 in Bells Beach, Victoria, Australia. (Photo courtesy of Aaron Hughes/World Surf League)
It was a showdown in San Clemente, the final showdown between longtime friends but rivals in the water, competing for the prestigious Rip Curl Pro Bell’s Beach title.
World Tour veteran Griffin Colapinto took on San Clemente native surfer Cole Houshmand at an event in Australia, and it was the rookie who ultimately emerged victorious, marking his first World Tour victory.
“I’m speechless. This is unreal. Honestly, I don’t think this situation is going to catch on anytime soon,” a smiling Houshmand said in a live interview with World Surf League officials. “There’s no one I want to beat more, and there’s no one I want to lose to more. It was a strange way of thinking…that worked to my advantage. Today is probably the best day of my life.”
And if it wasn’t enough to show that the Californian surfer is leaving his mark as one of the world’s best, Oceanside’s Caitlin Simmers won the women’s event against France’s Johanne Defay. Victory was achieved in just a few seconds.
“A lot of things were going through my head,” Simmers said. She has come into her own since joining the tour last year, finishing in the top five last year and winning the Pipeline Pro earlier this year. “During the last wave, I thought this might be it. It was almost too late. I think in this sport, you have to believe in yourself because things like that happen.”
Houshmand and Colapinto dominated the world’s best teams throughout the event, and it was a great finish for fellow San Clemente surfer Cade Matson, who advanced to the quarterfinals.
This was a much-needed result for Houshmand, who, given his mediocre performance in the first half of the season, was at risk of being excluded from the World Tour due to the looming mid-year cutbacks that would cut surfers’ spots in half. was. Monday’s victory sealed his spot on the tour for the rest of the year.
Houshmand showed he was hungry for big scores just minutes into the first heat, hacking the line and executing several big turns for a seven-point score.
Houshmand held the lead until the middle of the heat, but Colapinto took off with a 6.93, backed up by a mid-range 5.83.
However, Colapinto did not remain in the lead for long as Houshmand took the lead with a second score of 6.50. Surfers and fans alike held their breath in anticipation as the exchange took place in the heat of the moment.
When Colapinto’s score fell just short of what was needed, Houshmand threw his board into the air and his longtime friend hugged him. Colapinto, along with his younger brother Crosby Colapinto, raised Hooshmande proudly carrying the American flag on his shoulders as a great sign of his camaraderie and sportsmanship.
Houshmand recalled the surfing session he shared with Colapinto that morning during warm-ups, as the two sat in the water not knowing how the day would unfold.
“We just said, this is what it’s all about,” he said. “This is what we dreamed of when we were kids.”
Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach is the fourth of 10 stops on the World Tour, where the top five male and female surfers will compete at Lower Trestles in September for a spot in the finals.
Competitors will now head to Western Australia to compete in the Margaret River Pro, with a waiting period from April 11th to 21st.
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