Two San Clemente transplants, Toledo and Marks, clinch surfing world title

It seems having Lower Trestles in your backyard makes for a good training ground to clinch a world title.

Two San Clemente transplants, Florida’s Caroline Marks and Brazil’s Filipe Toledo, earned the Rip Curl World Surf League Finals world championship Saturday, Sept. 9, after a day of non-stop action at the surf break that’s a stone’s throw from their Orange County homes.

Marks’ win was the first time a mainland surfer has won the championship in 26 years, since fellow Florida surfer Lisa Andersen reigned in the mid-90s. Toledo’s victory continues a five-year dominance by Brazilians. Toledo is also the first-ever back-to-back world champion after his victory at the same spot last year.

“I was in my flow today and had a special day with the ocean,” said an emotional Marks, a 21-year-old surfer who joined the World Tour as a teenage prodigy.

The WSL finals are the culmination of a year-long, world-title race and brings the top-ranked five men and five women.

Surf fans filled into the cobblestone beach throughout the morning, packing the sliver of sand.

Many were decked out in “Griff for Champ” shirts and hats, a rally for Griffin Colapinto, who was raised in the surf town next door to the contest venue. But it wasn’t the hometown surfer’s day.

There was also no shortage of Brazilian fans who erupted in chants with every wave taken by their countrymen Joao Chianca and defending champion Toledo.

Swell from hurricane Jova brought 4- to 6-foot waves to the contest, but it was a slow start for the first 35-minute heat, the ocean going flat for about 15 minutes, with no waves ridden as the clock ticked down.

Oceanside surfer Caitlin Simmers, a 17-year-old rookie who grew up competing at the surf spot just north of her hometown, took the first wave of the day in her heat against Australia’s Molly Picklum with a big turn, but her surfboard dug into the wave, causing her to fall.

Simmers wouldn’t let the stumble rattle her, building on her score with a 7.0 and then a 8.17, eventually overtaking the lead to win the heat.

But Simmers’ journey ended when she faced Marks, who took the lead about halfway through their heat. The clock ticking down, the ocean went flat, leaving Simmers no way to better her score.

In the men’s matchups, Chianca overtook Australian Jack Robinson to meet up with another Aussie, Ethan Ewing, who just weeks ago fractured his spine and was unsure if he was going to be able to compete at the event.

But the injury didn’t slow Ewing down, through the heat posting high scores to move on to compete against Colapinto.

It was an action-packed heat for Colapinto and Ewing, each surfer going wave for wave. By the end, Colapinto needed a 8.88 with just minutes left on the clock – but the opportunity didn’t come his way.

Colapinto shook off the loss, saying he trusts that everything happens for a reason.

“These fans, San Clemente, coming out today, is the most insane moment of my life,” Colapinto said in a post-heat interview. “I never thought I’d have an opportunity like this. I was happy I was able to put on a show and surf some good waves.”

At just 25 years old, Colapinto knows he has a lot more to give, he said.  “I’m really happy with how the day has gone and really enjoyed this whole process.”

After Marks overtook two-time world champ Tyler Wright, she went into the final, best-of-three, match up against Hawaiian five-time world champion Carissa Moore. Marks took the win in the first heat with a high score of 17.10, bettering Moore’s 14.97.

When the men went back to the water, chants filled the sand and the Brazilian flag waved as Toledo came out to surf for the first time in the best-of-three matchup against Ewing.

Toledo used a combination of aerial and progressive surfing, with big turns and big airs to post a high 9 and 8.97 for a total 17.97, just slightly higher than Ewing’s 17.23, to win the first final match up of the day.

The second and final match up for the women started painfully slow, with 18 minutes passing before any waves were ridden. But when they did show, the surfers got work, Marks getting two waves in the 7 range, better than Moore’s 6.93 and 6.60, points that propelled her to the winner’s podium.

Marks told the crowd that if she wrote out her life dream in a notebook as a kid, this would be the story.

“I don’t know if it has quite hit me yet, I was emotional in the water,” she said from the winner’s podium. “Last year was a low point for me, this year is the best year of my life.”

The second men’s heat also started with a long, 20-minute lull as the surfers waited for just their right wave. Toledo stayed busy, taking several waves to post scores on the board, the crowd cheering with every turn and aerial.

His scores allowed him to clinch the win, the second consecutive world title for the Brazilian surfer.

He joked that he knew 90% of the crowd was pulling for Colapinto, but still “this one is going to stay in San Clemente,” he said of the trophy.

“I’ve been surfing here every day for the last 10 years,” he said. “It’s so hard to put into words what it took for me to be here today. So much sacrifice … I knew in the long run this would pay off. This is a dream. This is a dream come true.”