It was a San Clemente showdown, a final match up that would pit long-time friends – but rivals in the water – against each other for the prestigious Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach title.
World Tour veteran Griffin Colapinto matched up against fellow San Clemente surfer Cole Houshmand at the event in Australia – and in the end, it was the rookie who earned the victory, marking his first-ever World Tour win.
“I’m speechless. This is unreal. I honestly don’t think this will sink in for a while,” said a smiling Houshmand in a live interview with World Surf League officials. “There’s no one I really want to beat more, and no one I’d rather lose to. It was a weird mindset … It worked out in my favor. This is probably the best day of my life.”
And if that wasn’t enough to show that California surfers are making their mark amongst the world’s best, Oceanside’s Caitlin Simmers won the women’s event, a nail-biting victory she earned with just seconds on the clock against France’s Johanne Defay.
“There was a lot of stuff going through my brain,” said Simmers, who has been a force since she joined the tour last year, cracking the Top 5 last year and winning the Pipeline Pro earlier this year. “I was just thinking, on my last wave, this could be it. I was almost too late for it. I feel like in this sport, you have to believe in yourself because that stuff happens.”
Both Houshmand and Colapinto dominated against the world’s best throughout the event, and it was also a great finish for fellow San Clemente surfer Kade Matson, who made it to the quarterfinals.
It was a much-needed result for Houshmand, who was under threat of being knocked off the World Tour at the looming mid-year cut, which slashes the field of surfers in half, given his mediocre results during the first half of the season. His win on Monday secures his spot on tour for the rest of the year.
It was just minutes into the first heat that Houshmand showed he was hungry for big scores, hacking down the line and executing several huge turns for a 7-point score.
Houshmand maintained the lead until about halfway into the heat, when Colapinto took to the air for a 6.93, backed up by a mid-range 5.83.
But Colapinto wouldn’t stay at the top spot for long, Houshmand earning a second score of 6.50 to overtake the lead. An exchange at the final moments of the heat had the surfers, and the fans, holding their breath in anticipation.
When Colapinto’s score came in just shy of the needed result, Houshmand tossed his board into the air, his long-time friend embracing him. Colapinto joined his younger brother Crosby Colapinto in raising Houshmand, who waved the American flag with pride, on their shoulders, a huge sign of comradery and sportsmanship.
Houshmand reflected on a surf session he and Colapinto shared while warming up that morning, the duo sitting in the water not knowing how the day would unfold.
“We were just saying, this is what it’s all about,” he said. “This is what we dreamed of as kids.”
The Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach was the fourth stop of 10 on the World Tour, with the top five male and female surfers aiming to make the finals to battle at Lower Trestles in September.
The competitors now head to Western Australia for the Margaret River Pro, which has a waiting period of April 11-21.
