Carissa Moore is on top of the surfing world

Honolulu’s Carissa Moore talked as much about love as she did about surfing after winning her fourth women’s world championship Monday morning.

“Today is so special,” Moore said via cellphone after clinching the World Surf League’s biggest women’s prize and leaving the only other contender with a shot, Caroline Marks, in second place. “For me, this one (title) has something extra. There’s so much love here with me and behind me from those who came to watch or were watching (on TV) all over the world.”

Marks’ 13.73 to 11.50 loss to six-time world champion Stephanie Gilmore of Australia in 4- to 6-foot waves in the Lululemon Maui Pro quarterfinals at Honolua Bay was the final boost Moore needed to take the season-long points race. Gilmore went on to defeat Moore 15.94 to 15.07 in the contest’s semifinals and then won it with a 14.16 to 9.67 victory over fellow Australian Tyler Wright in the final.

A Punahou graduate, Moore also won world titles in 2011, ’13 and ’15, and she got super hot during the second half of the 2019 season to end the four-year wait.

She did not want to talk about the possibility of a fifth time, or more, at the top of the heap of women’s surfing in the future.

“To be honest, I haven’t thought too much about that,” she said. “I want to enjoy this one. There are so many people who were with me on this — my husband, my dad, my trainer, and so many others.”

The past four years has been a journey for Moore, for sure.

“I felt like I was holding myself back,” she said. “It had been a few years and I was building, trying to find the way back (to being the champion). Without (the struggles), this time wouldn’t be as sweet as it is.”

Wins at the Corona J-Bay Open in July and the Roxy Pro France in October gave Moore the momentum she needed to get it done.

The love of Moore’s life, husband Luke Untermann, was the first to greet her after the world title clinching.

“He said, ‘We did it. I knew we could do it, honey,’ ” Moore said.

As the top two surfers on the tour, Moore and Marks clinched spots for the U.S. in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics on Monday when they advanced to the Maui Pro quarterfinals.

Fans can attend a homecoming for Moore in honor of her latest world title on Wednesday at the Duke Kahanamoku statue in Waikiki at 11 a.m.