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Hawaii surfer Carissa Moore ascended to the top of the World Surf League rankings after winning the Surf Ranch Pro Presented by 805 Beer in Lemoore, Calif., on Sunday.
The Honolulu native and five-time World Champion claimed her second Surf Ranch Pro win and third Champions Tour event win of the season to claim the yellow Leader jersey as the No. 1 ranked surfer in the rankings. It was an important step for Moore as she looks to qualify for the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris and secure a place in the WSL Final 5.
Moore scored a 16.53 to beat American Caroline Marks (15.43) in a tightly contested final round. Moore seized control with an excellent 8.60 out of a possible 10 points on her first ride. She followed that up with a 7.93 on her backup ride. Marks was left needing to match Moore’s 8.60 on her final wave after scoring a 7.93 on her second ride. She went to the air on the all-or-nothing ride, but fell on the landing as Moore claimed the event crown.
Moore reached the final heat after besting Brazilian Tatiana Weston-Webb in the semifinal earlier in the day. Moore scored a near-perfect 9.67 out of 10 on her first wave and followed that with another strong 8.33 on her backup for an overall score of 18.00. Weston-Webb scored 7.00 and 7.77 to score 14.77.
Moore’s 9.67 in the semifinal was the highest scoring wave from either division throughout the tournament, while her 18.00 was the highest round-score of the tournament.
On the men’s side, American Griffin Colapinto narrowly edged Brazilian Italo Ferreira to claim the event title and the No. 1 spot. Colapinto scored an 8.70 and 9.07 (17.77 overall), while Ferreira scored an 8.07 and 8.43 (17.13).
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