Fresh off winning an Olympic gold, Carissa Moore claims her fifth world surfing title

Honolulu’s Carissa Moore has had some special years in her professional surfing career.

None of them can top this one.

Seven weeks after claiming the first Olympic gold medal handed out in her sport, the 29-year-old Honolulu native won her fifth World Surfing League title with a victory in the WSL Rip Curl Finals in San Clemente, Calif., on Tuesday.

Moore, whose previous world titles came in 2011, ’13, ’15 and ’19, got to celebrate her first one while in the water after defeating Brazil’s Tatiana Weston-Webb by a score of 16.60 to 14.20 in the deciding third heat.

“It’s been an unbelievable year,” Moore said in a press release. “I’ve never been in the water and won a world title so that was extra special.

“It was very nerve racking, and it wasn’t how I imagined it would go today.”

The first-ever Rip Curl WSL Finals was a one-day, winner-take-all event.

Moore is the third female surfer to win five world titles, joining Stephanie Gilmore and Layne Beachley.

“(I) surfed from my heart. I’m happy it worked out,” Moore said. “I don’t think I could have asked for anything more. I’m really grateful to God, the universe and everyone behind me.”

Moore is Hawaii’s most successful surfer on the world stage, adding to her previous record that surpasses the three world titles won by Andy Irons and two by John John Florence.

Moore won the final two heats of the best-of-three format against Weston-Webb, who was born in Brazil but raised on Kauai, in six- to eight-foot waves at Lower Trestles.

A champion in 2020 was not crowned, making Moore a back-to-back winner of the world title for the first time.

The No. 1 seeds won on both sides as Brazil’s Gabriel Medina won his third world title, joining Tom Curren, Irons and Mick Fanning. Only Kelly Slater (11) and Mark Richards (four) have more.

Moore and Medina each won $200,000 out of the identical $470,000 purses.