Stephanie Gilmore wins the Oi Rio Women’s Pro and strengthens her world n°1 position

Photo: WSL / Poullenot
 

Saquarema, Rio de Janeiro/Brazil (Wednesday, May 16, 2018) – Today, Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) won the Oi Rio Women’s Pro, Stop No. 4 on the World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour (CT), after a massive day of competition in four-to-five foot (1.2 – 1.5 metre) surf at Itaúna Beach in Saquarema.

Six-time WSL Champion Gilmore battled through four rounds today, taking down Lakey Peterson (USA) in the Final, Nikki Van Dijk (AUS) in the Semifinals, Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) in the Quarterfinals, and Caroline Marks (USA) in Round 3. Not only does Gilmore’s win mark her 28th CT victory but also her first CT win in Brazil.

“That was a really crucial Final because Lakey (Peterson) has had a win and I’ve had a win,” said Gilmore. “I just want it. I want it really bad and that is what it takes. It feels good. I just love competing. It is such a good challenge to be out there and to have this stage to perform on is really special. I’ve been doing this for a while but it never gets old. This is just the beginning.”

Despite the loss, Peterson is in a strong position to hunt down her first World Title this season. The Californian started her year with a big win on the Gold Coast and continues to raise the bar at each event. En route to her runner-up result, Peterson dispatched crowd-favorite Tatiana Weston-Webb (HAW) in the Semifinals and three-time WSL Champion Carissa Moore (HAW) in the Quarterfinals.

“A World Title is my goal,” said Peterson. “I am just trying to take it one event at a time. I feel like the momentum is working for me right now, but it is also working for Steph (Gilmore) right now. She is obviously in a great groove and she’s got an extra win on top of me, and I am aware of that. She’s such a phenomenal competitor and surfer.”
 
 

Oi Rio Pro Women’s Final Results:

1 – Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 11.53
2 – Lakey Peterson (USA) 8.00
 

Oi Rio Pro Women’s Semifinal Results:

SF 1: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 11.00 def. Nikki Van Dijk (AUS) 9.67
SF 2: Lakey Peterson (USA) 11.27 def. Tatiana Weston-Webb (BRA) 10.40
 

Oi Rio Pro Women’s Quarterfinal Results:

QF 1: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 13.06 def. Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 10.00
QF 2: Nikki Van Dijk (AUS) 10.83 def. Keely Andrew (AUS) 5.77
QF 3: Tatiana Weston-Webb (BRA) 15.33 def. Silvana Lima (BRA) 4.60
QF 4: Lakey Peterson (USA) 12.67 def. Carissa Moore (HAW) 9.57
 

Oi Rio Pro Women’s Round 3 Results:

Heat 1: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 11.17, Keely Andrew (AUS) 9.64, Tyler Wright (AUS) 6.17
Heat 2: Nikki Van Dijk (AUS) 14.36, Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 12.50, Caroline Marks (USA) 4.67
Heat 3: Silvana Lima (BRA) 15.90, Lakey Peterson (USA) 15.23, Johanne Defay (FRA) 13.16
Heat 4: Carissa Moore (HAW) 15.33, Tatiana Weston-Webb (BRA) 11.50, Sage Erickson (USA) 11.34
 

2018 WSL Women’s CT Jeep Leaderboard (After Oi Rio Pro):

1 – Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 29,490 pts
2 – Lakey Peterson (USA) 25,630 pts
3 – Tatiana Weston-Webb (BRA) 20,020 pts
4 – Carissa Moore (HAW) 18,980 pts
5 – Caroline Marks (USA) 17,000 pts