Thousands of people lined the beach as Gabriel Medina of Brazil won his third world championship and Olympic gold medalist Carissa Moore of Hawaii won her fifth world title at the Rip Curl World Surf League Finals at Lower Trestles on a picture perfect day.
It was the first time the WSL decided its world champions in a one-day, winner-take-all format involving the top five women’s and men’s surfers based on the season points standings.
Moore was seeded directly into the final match, where she beat Australia’s Tatiana Weston-Webb to defend her world title.
Medina, beat third-seeded Filipe Toledo of Brazil in the men’s final. Toledo had eliminated Olympic gold medalist and defending world champion Italo Ferreira of Brazil, the second seed.
Shark sightings halted both the men’s and women’s finals for a bit before surfing resumed.
Moore and Medina each won $200,000 out of the identical $470,000 purses.
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