Griffin Colapinto Wins Fiji Pro, WSL Finals Lineup Locked In
Let the good times roll! Griffin Colapinto is coming back home to San Clemente with a big win at the Fiji Pro and a clear shot at earning the 2024 world title in front of the hometown crowd. The WSL Finals are about three weeks away, and we're in for quite a show.
Sprinting through three straight days of competition, Colapinto made short work of Indonesia's Rio Waida in the final. A lopsided affair, Waida was surfing in his first-ever final. But that's not the whole story, in the quarters Colapinto dispatched Gabriel Medina, then went on to eliminate Jack Robinson in the semis.
With three world titles to his credit, Medina needed to win the event to get to the WSL Finals. Colapinto made sure that didn't happen. Meanwhile, Robinson will come into the Finals with the number three seed, just behind Colapinto. There's a good chance they'll see each other again at Lowers, and to have this win over him in Fiji, it has to do wonders for the mindset.
"I don't know what to say, it just kind of happened in a nice, flowing rhythm. I never really had any crazy heats and found myself with a W at the end," Colapinto shared from the back of a jet ski after taking the win. "Super psyched to have a final with Rio. Amazing kid. Amazing surfer. I'm so excited to see what he does in the future."
Then Colapinto go down to brass tacks and opened up about his number two seed at the upcoming WSL Finals.
"Caroline Marks won in Tahiti last year and then went on to win the world title, so I was thinking, maybe if I win this, I could go on to win the world title at Lowers," he continued. "So I got this one done, and we'll see what the stars have in store for us at home."
Last year San Clemente went haywire when Colapinto qualified for his first WSL Finals. As someone that lives in town and is a big Griff fan, it's going to be so fun to see what happens next. In 2024, it was very important to him to support all of his friends and family that have showed him the love over the years. It only seems logical that his fans will come out in force once again, and with a number two seed, Colapinto only has to advance out of one round to battle for the world title, where he'd meet John John Florence. Is it finally time to bring it on home to California? This writers says absolutely.
Related: 17-Year-Old Canadian Wildcard Erin Brooks Earns Historic Win at 2024 Fiji Pro
Related: Griffin Colapinto Ends Gabe Medina's 2024 World Title Hopes
