Breaking Through: Championship Tour #8, Roxy/Quicksilver Pro

But boy, what an event it was.

The women’s side featured a clash of world #1 and #2 in the semis followed by an All-American final, while the men’s side boasted a historic first win. Let’s dive in, shall we? (Sigh… pun totally intended there.)

Women’s Side—An All-American Final

The competition in Hossegor, France delivered an All-USA final to spectators, with 27-year-old Carissa Moore of Honolulu, Hawaii taking on youth phenom, 17-year-old Caroline Marks of Melbourne Beach, Florida. 

While Marks surfed fearlessly and expertly in the semis, the experience of Moore would be overwhelming in their finals bout amidst the beach break of La Graviere. The three-time world champion ruled the final over the tenacious teenager, pulling off a backhand barrel that scored a 9 from the judges and easily secured her 3rd French event title (and 23rd CT event title overall).

“It’s been a pretty special year so far,” said Moore. “This was definitely a special event, being able to share it with my husband and Mitch Ross, I have an incredible team of people behind me, my family and friends, my sponsors and the fans who were incredible.”

Prior to the all-American final, there was a titanic, much ballyhooed all-American semifinal boasting a battle of the World’s #1 and #2 women—the eventual event winner, Moore, and 25-year-old Blenders rep, Lakey Peterson of Santa Barbara, CA. Moore’s score of 9.83 in that match was too much for Lakey, however, although the latter remains in the running for the WSL crown as we enter the stretch run. She now trails Moore by 7,000 points as the world’s #2.

Men’s Side—A Historic Victory

One of the world’s best tube riders demonstrated his mastery of the waves this past week—and he chose the perfect venue for it.

Jeremy Flores of France experienced a magnificent homecoming, becoming the first French surfer to ever score a victory in Hossegor. The historic win was punctuated by a virtually perfect 9.67-scored barrel in the opening three minutes of his final, putting Brazilian Italo Ferreira in an unenviable position he was never able to recover from. The event title propels Flores to #9 overall on the Jeep Leaderboard.

“I really want to thank all the fans here on the beach,” said Flores. “You have always been there supporting me, all those years, through the highs and lows, and I honestly could never have done this without you. I’m dedicating this win to Pierre Agnes, without whom I would never be who I am today.”

Keep it with us as we follow Lakey and the rest of the world’s best as they take to Peniche, Portugal for the MEO Rip Curl Pro from Oct. 16 - 28.