WA’s Jack Robinson has once again risen to the occasion at one of surfing’s heaviest waves, winning the Lexus Tahiti Pro and securing his place in the WSL Final 5.
Arriving in Tahiti ranked No. 8 and needing a win to keep his World Title hopes alive, Robinson set the tone in the Final with a deep 9.50 barrel against Griffin Colapinto. It was a performance that echoed his 2023 heroics at the same break, cementing his reputation as one of the sport’s most dangerous competitors when the stakes are highest.
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Molly Picklum and Jack Robinson Win 2025 Lexus Tahiti Pro Presented by I-SEA at Teahupo’o
Australians Molly Picklum (AUS) and Jack Robinson (AUS) have claimed victory at the Lexus Tahiti Pro Presented by I-SEA, Stop No. 11 of 12 on the World Surf League (WSL) 2025 Championship Tour (CT) and the last event of the regular season. It was another incredible day of competition at the ‘End of The Road’ with the men’s Final 5 being locked away, Rookies of the Year decided, and event winners crowned in pumping six-to-eight-foot-plus tubes at Teahupo’o, one of the world’s heaviest waves.
Molly Picklum Puts on a Show to Claim Maiden Tahiti Win
Picklum claimed victory in a highly anticipated match-up against reigning World Champion Caity Simmers (USA), after defeating two former event winners on the way to the Final, Vahine Fierro (FRA) and Caroline Marks (USA). Pickum’s second CT event win of the season, her fourth overall, extended the 22-year-old’s stranglehold of the No. 1 position in the rankings. After sitting behind Simmers and Gabriela Bryan (HAW) for the first two-thirds of the season, the Australian leapfrogged both surfers to take a convincing lead following her event win in Brazil, which she further strengthened with a runner-up finish in South Africa and has now run away with thanks to her performance today. The only woman of the current Final 5 with prior WSL Finals experience not to win a World Title, Picklum is carrying serious momentum headed into the event that could see her join the iconic Australian legacy of World Champions.
“I’m so stoked,” Picklum said. “What a special place, Tahiti. You feel all the energy. It’s just so nice. I’m staring at the mountains right now and staring into perfect blue. It’s where the dream comes alive. And Fiji next. I’m gonna enjoy it for what it is. I finished number one this year. It’s a massive step in the right direction. Hopefully I can get that, you know, cherry again in Fiji.”
The scores of the women’s Final told of an entirely one-sided affair, with Simmers earning just 4.94 (out of a possible 20) from her two-wave total, while Picklum posted one of the highest totals of the season at 17.26. But the final tally doesn’t account for the near misses of the reigning World Champion. The Californian came close to emerging from what undoubtedly would have been the highest number of the event, but ultimately it was the Australian who was in complete rhythm with the ocean, delivering a trio of excellent scores. Picklum drove through barrel after barrel on some of the biggest waves of the day to seal victory on an event that she had already convincingly stamped her mark on throughout the week.
“Honestly, it was so nice to just make a couple of waves and not get so flogged,” Picklum continued. “I felt like I earned my stripes this event, and I’m so happy. I wish Caity [Simmers] had obviously made one. It would have made it more exciting. The poor girl was so buggered at the end there. But, I’ve been on that side of the stick, and I’m so happy to get another one up.”
Jack Robinson Comes From The Sky to Book Spot at Lexus WSL Finals
It was a fairytale finish for Jack Robinson (AUS), who claimed not only the event win, but a place in the Final 5 to contest for the 2025 World Title when the Lexus WSL Finals takes place in Fiji later this month. In a repeat of his trajectory in 2023, when he also needed to win the event to clinch his position in the Final 5, Robinson joined an elite list of multiple-time winners in Tahiti, including a surfer he was directly seeking to channel, Andy Irons (HAW), as well as Kelly Slater (USA), Bobby Martinez (USA), and Gabriel Medina (BRA).
Robinson’s ninth CT event win also ties him on the all-time win list with two Hawaiian World Champions, Sunny Garcia (HAW) and John John Florence (HAW). Robinson jumped four places up the rankings, all the way to No. 4, bumping fellow Australian Ethan Ewing (AUS) out of the Final 5.
“Right where we’re meant to be,” Robinson said. “I just want to thank everyone who supports me. All love, you know. I’m just taking it in right now. I had a mission and I went for it. Very blessed to be going to Fiji. It comes down to the last one and right there again. Let’s go.”
Robinson shared the Final with good friend and rival Griffin Colapinto (USA), who also jumped into the Final 5 with his performance today. Robinson repeatedly cracked into the excellent range to defeat newly crowned Rookie of the Year Marco Mignot (FRA), defending event winner Italo Ferreira (BRA), and Colapinto’s brother, Crosby Colapinto (USA), including delivering the event-high heat total of 18.10 against Crosby.
The Australian’s quiet and calm approach saw him thread deep, technical tubes throughout the course of the day, highlighted by a 9.50 as one of just two waves the 27-year-old surfed in the Final. While Colapinto found excellence of his own, with an 8.00, the Californian was unable to tap into the magic that saw him defeat Joao Chianca (BRA), Ethan Ewing (AUS) and local Wildcard Mihimana Braye (PYF) on his road to the Final.
“To be in the Final with Griffin [Colapinto], I kind of felt like we were coming together,” Robinson said. “We’ve been seeing each other every day because we go to the same chiro and stuff. And when we were together, I was like, ‘Oh, I just kind of feel it.’ So yeah, I was so blessed to have everyone there. What a day.”
Californians Simmers and Colapinto Lock In No. 3 Seeds Ahead of Fiji
Reigning World Champion Caity Simmers (USA) was an absolute standout all event, riding some of the longest, deepest tubes of the week with superior technique and style. Simmers’ second Final appearance in Tahiti was enough to guarantee her seed No. 3 in the WSL Final 5 and gave her the perfect warm-up for the long, hollow, reef pass barrels of Cloudbreak, the location of the upcoming Lexus WSL Finals. Simmers will head to Fiji later this month to defend her World Title.
“I’m kind of confused right now. I was underwater for most of that Final, so I’m pretty tired,” Simmers joked. “But yeah, I mean, Molly [Picklum] and I, we’re just friends, she gives me advice on more than just surfing, and it’s good to have someone like that. And also in Finals like that, and just all of our heats in general, we kind of tend to surf better, I feel like, when we’re together. I was talking the other day about having to surf here when it’s good, you kind of have to be a little bit stupid and also be calculated, too, and the balance of that. I feel like I was just stupid and she was calculated. So that was kind of how it went. Molly ripped that one, and I had fun, too. I got some good visions and also some good wipeouts and everything you want out here, I guess, except to win.”
After an incredible week of performances both in the jersey and out of it, eventual event runner-up Griffin Colapinto (USA) was able to move three places up the rankings into the third spot in the WSL Final 5 ahead of the Lexus WSL Finals Fiji. It will be the third-consecutive year Colapinto will compete for a World Title in this format, and with three runner-up finishes and two thirds from his last five events, Colapinto is coming into the Title showdown with more momentum than any of the men on Tour.
“I’m just super, super grateful,” Colapinto said. “I’ve put in so much preparation and hard work over the years. It’s my eighth year coming to Tahiti and competing in this contest, and this is my first time making Finals Day. With everything on the line, it’s a big hump to get over. It just felt like this time it shifted, like I’d felt the click-over and the comfort was setting in, and the number of times I’ve taken beatings at this wave. And then starting to actually make crazy barrels started to feel really good. I think all that preparation just showed on this day, so I’m super grateful.”
Yago Dora Leads Rankings Ahead of Lexus WSL Finals Fiji
Day 3 of competition at the Lexus Tahiti Pro Presented by I-SEA saw World No. 1 Yago Dora (BRA) and World No. 2 Jordy Smith (RSA) both eliminated by Tahitian Wildcards Kauli Vaast (FRA) and Mihimana Braye (PYF), respectively. Though both surfers bowed out in the Round of 16, Dora’s lead was insurmountable by anyone else in the field, keeping his spot on top of the rankings safe. Dora will now head into the Lexus WSL Finals Fiji as the No. 1 seed, meaning the 29-year-old Brazilian is one heat win away from becoming the 2025 WSL World Champion. Smith was also able to hang onto his No. 2 spot heading into the Final event.
“My main goal in Tahtiti has been fulfilled,” Dora said. “One more step in the right direction. I really wish I could have gone further in this event that I love so much. But I believe that everything happens for a reason. Now it’s time to focus all the energy on the final stage.”
2019 World Champion Italo Ferreira (BRA) was unstoppable at the start of the season, wearing the Yellow Leader Jersey through to the halfway point of the year, before struggling to find form in the second half of the year. Coming into Tahiti as the reigning event winner, Ferreira was able to do enough to finish with an equal fifth-place finish and hang onto the fifth and final seed spot in the WSL Final 5.
“I’m so stoked to make this happen,” Ferreira said. “I started the year so good, so well. And then I had a break between those results and the last couple of events. But I feel so glad. I just want to thank God for the opportunity to live this moment and to live this dream. It’s special.”
The advancement of both Griffin Colapinto (USA) and Ethan Ewing (AUS) into the Quarterfinals knocked Kanoa Igarashi (JPN) out of contention for the Final 5. Ewing held a position in the five, right up until Jack Robinson (AUS) claimed the event win, leaving the official Final 5 to include Dora, Smith, Colapinto, Robinson and Ferreira.
Erin Brooks and Marco Mignot Claim 2025 Rookie of The Year Honors
CT newcomers Erin Brooks (CAN) and Marco Mignot (FRA) have finished their maiden year at the elite level in style, claiming the 2025 WSL Championship Tour Rookie of the Year titles. With fellow Rookies Joel Vaughan (AUS) and Alan Cleland (MEX) bowing out before the end of the Round of 16, Mignot held onto No. 16 on the rankings to finish the year as the highest-ranked surfer of his rookie class. 18-year-old Brooks, who has already won a CT event as a wildcard, managed two Semifinal appearances this season to end the year at No. 8 on the rankings. The pair join an elite group of Rookie of the Year recipients, including WSL Champions Caity Simmers (USA), Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), Carissa Moore (HAW), and Italo Ferreira (BRA).
“I’m super happy to get Rookie of the Year,” Mignot said. “It’s been an amazing battle between Al [Cleland], Joel [Vaughan], and me. We really went big, and I mean, we had no choice because on this tour, the level is so high, and we showed we can do it. In the end, it was between me and Alan, and I would have been happy either way, as he is a great friend of mine. It’s been a beautiful year with lots of learning. To win this was a goal that I wrote down at the start of the year, and I achieved it, so I’m super happy. Now it’s time to reset and bring on 2026.”
For highlights and more information from Finals Day at the Lexus Tahiti Pro Presented by I-SEA, please visit WorldSurfLeague.com.
Lexus Tahiti Pro Presented by I-SEA Women’s Final Results
1 – Molly Picklum (AUS) 17.26
2 – Caitlin Simmers (USA) 4.94
Lexus Tahiti Pro Presented by I-SEA Men’s Final Results
1 – Jack Robinson (AUS) 16.9
2 – Griffin Colapinto (USA) 13.67
Lexus Tahiti Pro Presented by I-SEA Men’s Semifinal Results
HEAT 1: Jack Robinson (AUS) 18.10 DEF. Crosby Colapinto (USA) 11.66
HEAT 2: Griffin Colapinto (USA) 14.83 DEF. Mihimana Braye (PYF) 14.77
Lexus Tahiti Pro Presented by I-SEA Men’s Quarterfinal Results:
HEAT 1: Crosby Colapinto (USA) 16.63 DEF. Kauli Vaast (FRA) 15.54
HEAT 2: Jack Robinson (AUS) 15.80 DEF. Italo Ferreira (BRA) 14.07
HEAT 3: Mihimana Braye (PYF) 14.93 DEF. Cole Houshmand (USA) 11.50
HEAT 4: Griffin Colapinto (USA) 16.76 DEF. Ethan Ewing (AUS) 14.20
Lexus Tahiti Pro Presented by I-SEA Men’s Round of 16 Results
HEAT 1: Kauli Vaast (FRA) 15.43 DEF. Jordy Smith (RSA) 3.33
HEAT 2: Crosby Colapinto (USA) 9.34 DEF. Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA) 9.20
HEAT 3: Italo Ferreira (BRA) 11.33 DEF. Rio Waida (INA) 1.94
HEAT 4: Jack Robinson (AUS) 11.67 DEF. Marco Mignot (FRA) 10.93
HEAT 5: Mihimana Braye (PYF) 10.77 DEF. Yago Dora (BRA) 7.33
HEAT 6: Cole Houshmand (USA) 10.67 DEF. Jake Marshall (USA) 5.53
HEAT 7: Ethan Ewing (AUS) 16.23 DEF. Alan Cleland (MEX) 14.16
HEAT 8: Griffin Colapinto (USA) 15.00 DEF. Joao Chianca (BRA) 14.97
Next and Final Stop: Lexus WSL Finals Fiji
The Lexus WSL Finals Fiji will be the 12th and final stop on the 2025 WSL Championship Tour. The one-day, winner-takes-all competition will be held at Cloudbreak in Fiji, holding a competition window from August 27 through September 4, 2025. The event will be broadcast LIVE on WorldSurfLeague.com, and the free WSL App. Check out more ways to watch from the WSL’s broadcast partners.
The Lexus Tahiti Pro Presented by I-SEA is proudly supported by Lexus, Tahitian Government, I-SEA, YETI, Surfline, Red Bull, mophie, Polynesia One, Vini, Air Tahiti Nui, Banque de Tahiti, and True Surf.
For more information, please visit WorldSurfLeague.com
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