MARGARET RIVER, Western Australia, Australia (Tuesday, May 20, 2025) – The Western Australia Margaret River Pro, Stop No. 7 on the 2025 World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour (CT), witnessed an emotional day of thrilling victories, tough losses, and major upsets in the biggest surf the Tour has seen in 2025. The men’s and women’s Elimination Rounds, along with the men’s Round of 32, were completed in large and unruly conditions at Main Break that delivered a long list of incredible performances alongside multiple broken boards.
With the Mid-season Cut taking its first names today, the CT field battled to hang onto their positions for the 2026 season, but not without heartbreaking losses along the way. A total of 10 men were confirmed as Cut, including two surfers not present, while ten were guaranteed a place on Tour for the remainder of the 2025 season and into 2026. Five men remain in contention for the two places above the Cut-line, which will be decided when competition resumes.
Local Favorite Robinson Eliminated by deVault in Round of 32, Cleland Saves CT Spot
The final two heats of the day highlighted the day’s drama more than most after heat wins from Alan Cleland Jr. (MEX) and Imaikalani deVault (HAW). deVault backed two-time Margaret River Pro winner and heavy favorite Jack Robinson (AUS) into a corner after posting an excellent 8.00 (out of a possible 10), followed by a 6.33, leaving Robinson in need of a near-perfect 9.00. Multiple attempts from Robinson weren’t able to yield anything higher than a 6.00, seeing the local defeated at his home event for the first time since his rookie season in 2021. DeVault still faces a huge task to get himself above the Cut-line, but after turning around his Quarterfinal loss to Robinson at Margaret River last season, the belief is strong for the surfer from Maui.
“I wish I started doing this in the beginning of the year,” deVault said. “I just feel like [this event] suits me. I did well here last year. That was actually the rematch heat. Me and Jack [Robinson] had a Quarterfinal last year and he got me with like 30 seconds left, buzzer-beater. It was a really fun heat. Every time I surf against Jack we seem to have a pretty solid heat, so I was stoked. He’s the guy to beat here, and I feel like everybody knows that.”
Meanwhile, Cleland confirmed his place on the CT with a heat win over Rio Waida (INA). The fan favorite and first Mexican surfer to compete as a member of the CT, Cleland arrived in Margaret River as the second-lowest-ranked surfer still above the Cut-line and was ecstatic to confirm his spot for 2026.
“I can’t explain it, it’s something that’s been on my mind since I got on this Tour, since my first heat at Pipe,” Cleland said. “Going out there, I knew I was surfing against Rio [Waida], he’s one of the best, so I was just like, alright, I’ll just try to surf and put all my cards and let’s see what happens. I didn’t really realize, nobody brought it up to me, but coming in I saw all the cameras and I was like, oh I guess maybe I’d surfed alright, but then everybody told me I made the Cut. It’s a crazy feeling, I don’t know how to process it, but I’m just stoked to be a part of it.”
Fioravanti Fires Up, C. Colapinto Digs Deep to Post Top Numbers of High-Scoring Day
Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA) posted the day’s first excellent score, an 8.00, on his opening ride, but it was a number that didn’t even factor into his two-wave total by heat’s end. Fioravanti added an 8.13 before his opponent, Ian Gentil (HAW), was able to find a single score of note. Gentil started the day with a convincing win in the Elimination Round, the first heat win of his career at Margaret River, but was unable to match the clean, powerful lines of the 27-year-old Italian, who was in perfect rhythm with the unpredictable ocean. A critical two-turn combo on a large set wave earned Fioravanti a 9.00 to close out the heat with a 17.13 (out of a possible 20) total, the highest of the day.
“I just felt good, I felt like I did some solid surfing,” Fioravanti said. “I didn’t go out to get 17 points, I just went out to try and surf a good heat. If good sections came up, I really wanted to open up. [The 9-point ride] just looked like a really nice wave. I bottom turned, and it wasn’t an open face, it was a section. So I was like, either I go around it or I hit it, I’m like, no, I’ve got to go for it. I didn’t plan for it, air drop, my feet kind of wobbled a little bit. When I made it, I’m like, ok, now I’ll just finish it and did a little cutback. And then on the inside, I just did the same section again. Usually at Margaret River when it’s this size, you hit and hope for the best, and the best was there for me today.”
Crosby Colapinto (USA) found a glimmer of hope in a season that has not gone his way when he defeated Ethan Ewing (AUS) in the Round of 32. The 2024 Rookie of the Year had to pull out of the first two events of the season after breaking his elbow training for the opening event at Pipeline and returned to competition for Stop No. 3 while still recovering. A Semifinal finish in the fourth event at El Salvador followed, before sickness affected his earlier performances in Australia. Colapinto fought back hard after Ewing had taken an early dominance of the heat, posting one of the highest single wave scores of the day, an 8.83, backed up by a 7.17 late in the heat, to end the campaign of an event favorite. The 23-year-old Southern Californian moved himself up three places on the rankings to within striking distance of making the Cut.
“That was wild, you come up against Ethan [Ewing] and you know it’s going to be fireworks every time,” Colapinto said. “I think coming up against Ethan is actually really, like I was kind of happy that I saw that draw, because I was like alright, well, there’s only one option of going out there and ripping right now and just going big. So I was kind of happy to see that. And then also just to surf a good heat and put some waves together out here. This wave is so challenging and all the prep work was so hard so I felt like just putting waves together felt so good too, you know, and just yeah keep going.”
Colapinto will next meet Rookie Jackson Bunch (HAW) in the Round of 16 for a crucial heat that will determine which of the two will make the Cut. Bunch furthered his possibilities of staying on Tour after defeating two-time World Champion Filipe Toledo (BRA).
Australian Wildcards Willcox and McDonagh Defeat Ferreira and Dora, World No. 1 and 2
All three of the men’s event Wildcards, Mikey McDonagh (AUS), Winter Vincent (AUS), and Jacob Willcox (AUS) survived the Elimination Round to feature in high-profile match-ups in the Round of 32. McDonagh delivered the first major upset of the day when he defeated current World No. 2 Yago Dora (BRA) in the opening heat of the round before Willcox continued the trend of Australian Wildcards defeating World No. 1 Italo Ferreira (BRA). Meanwhile, Vincent, in his first-ever CT appearance, went down to current GWM Aussie Treble leader and World No. 4, Kanoa Igarashi (JPN).
The victory was a major breakthrough for Willcox, who pushed through to the Round of 16 for the first time at his home event after seven previous showings. The CT rookie season of the Margaret River local ended in the same round last year and he was happy to turn the page today with a huge win over Ferreira in an exciting all-goofy-footed match-up. Both surfers were able to deliver dramatic backhand hits in highly critical sections, with Willcox getting the nod across multiple exchanges, the highest of which broke into the excellent range as an 8.33.
“I was stoked to surf against Italo [Ferreira],” Willcox said. “He’s one of my favorite surfers, he’s such a talent and so amazing to watch out there. I was fired up getting to surf against another goofy that you look up to and think is an amazing surfer. Getting to beat him is epic, but I felt like I could have put it to bed a bit better than I did in that heat. I obviously had that one that I connected on and then just kind of fell on a few. The waves are fun out there right now, the wind’s gone a little bit more southeast, which I reckon is better for Main Break. I feel like the swell’s dropped a little bit too so there’s some fun rides.”
It was a redeeming moment for McDonagh, the 23-year-old from Northern NSW, who slowly drifted down the Challenger Series rankings in 2024 after winning the opening event of the season on the Gold Coast. Originally marked for a wildcard in an earlier event in the GWM Aussie Treble, injury held McDonagh back until his current appearance in Margaret River. It is the first time McDonagh has competed on the CT since his inaugural showing as a 16-year-old wildcard at Bells Beach in 2018, and he was excited to make it count.
“I’m just over the moon to move through,” McDonagh said. “I sort of knew what I was going to be up for after getting a heat out there earlier on. Yago [Dora]’s such a great competitor, he’s so deadly and he was ripping. It was just sort of pretty simple for me just to try and find where to put my big turns and yeah sort of victory at sea, copped a lot of floggings, and it definitely made it rewarding. Last year obviously stung so much. I think I experienced the highest highs and the lowest lows. Yeah, so just frothing to get a chance to compete at the big stage. I definitely feel like I belong here, and yeah, warm up and head into Newcastle and take a bit of confidence for sure.”
Sally Fitzgibbons and Lakey Peterson Advance to Fight Another Day to Keep Spots on 2026 CT
An early advantage in a must-progress heat for Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) turned into an intensely pressured-filled scenario after a duck-dive on a close-out set broke her board with 8-minutes remaining. The CT veteran and 2017 Margaret River Pro winner took a smart approach to the large surf, making sure to secure two scores early, before attempting to push the envelope. In the meantime Fitzgibbons’ fellow Finalist from the Bonsoy Gold Coast Pro, Bettylou Sakura Johnson (HAW), edged ahead with the best scoring wave of the heat. After opening with a huge take-off on one of the biggest waves of the day, 18-year-old local Wildcard Willow Hardy (AUS) posted a score slightly above the two from Fitzgibbons. Following Fitzgibbons’ board-snap, Hardy held priority for the remainder of the heat, but was caught under a set herself before finding a wave with 20 seconds to go. Needing a 3.96, Hardy received a 3.50, allowing Fitzgibbons another chance to rise above the Cut-line. For Johnson, her appearance in the round was a harsh surprise, but one she was aiming to learn from.
“I definitely don’t want to be in the Elimination Round, especially coming off from Burleigh,” Johnson said. “But, you know, this is a good wake-up call for me just to really get my head straight, and roll the dice again. I’m here to try my best, and yeah, I just want to keep hunting down another win.”
Fitzgibbons was able to climb one place in the live rankings, out of the dreaded No. 15 position, which is the only ranking on the women’s side left that will be relegated to the Challenger Series. 2019 Margaret River Pro winner Lakey Peterson (USA) now occupies that position, despite progressing through the second women’s Elimination Round heat behind Erin Brooks (CAN). Brooks and Peterson defeated 2025 WSL Replacement Surfer Nadia Erostarbe (ESP), who earned invaluable experience over the course of the season, appearing in her first five CT’s, and will now return to the Challenger Series ready to fight her way back. Though Brooks has likely done enough to re-qualify for the 2026 CT season, as one of the top 14 in the rankings, she is still determined to stay within the top-10 in order to continue on Tour in 2025.
“I was definitely a little nervous seeing how big it was today,” Brooks said. “I was confident because I live in Hawaii and I surf a lot of big waves, but seeing those big lines out the back was definitely a little scary. Right before my heat, actually, I was watching the girls get absolutely pumped, so I was glad I didn’t have to deal with that. Snake [Jake Paterson] just told me to stay busy. He said it was a wave-catching contest and I guess it is because once you start going your confidence builds and you can get into a good rhythm. I wasn’t too happy with my surfing out there, but I was just glad that I made the heat.”
New Fathers Callinan and O’Leary Land on Opposite Ends of Cut Scenarios
Two men who have become fathers in recent weeks, Ryan Callinan (AUS) and Connor O’Leary (JPN) have found themselves on the opposite end of the scenarios surrounding the Mid-season Cut. In addition to welcoming their daughters into the world together, the two close friends also travel and train as part of a unit with coach Richard ‘Dog’ Marsh. The pair will now face divergent paths with Callinan dropping to the very bottom of the rankings and O’Leary rising as one of the first surfers facing the Cut to have their position confirmed.
The first heat of the morning saw Callinan as the first victim of the Mid-season Cut for 2025 when he was defeated by Jacob Willcox (AUS) and Barron Mamiya (HAW). The Elimination Round finish was the worst ever at Margaret River for Callinan, who was in need of a big result due to pulling out of two events earlier in the season. After surfing through an injury at Stop No. 2 that he had picked up in the first event of the season, Callinan was forced to miss the third event in Portugal. The 32-year-old also opted to sit out the Bonsoy Gold Coast Pro when his daughter was born shortly beforehand. It is the second time for Callinan to be cut, having experienced it in the first iteration of the format in 2022, before re-qualifying to finish in the CT Top 10 in 2023. With the first Challenger Series event of the season taking place at his home in Newcastle, Callinan will be primed for another fast rebound.
O’Leary kept his hopes alive in a tense heat that was essentially a must-win situation for him, and most definitely was for Liam O’Brien (AUS). Both surfers were unable to find scores in the first half of their overlapping heat, and it largely came down to the single highest scoring ride from each. A massive hook under the pocket of a sizable wave earned a 7.83 for O’Brien, with no chance of a second turn, while O’Leary found a similarly dramatic opening turn on his backhand on a wave that opened up for more, delivering an 8.50. O’Brien will have to go back to the drawing board on the Challenger Series, while O’Leary moved up four places to No. 15.
“I was really nervous, I mean, there’s a lot riding on this one heat,” O’Leary said. “We’ve had a few days off, so it’s a lot more time to think about it. I’ve been working pretty closely with Mark Spargo, who’s my sports psychologist. And it’s telling myself that all these positive and negative emotions are completely normal. And it’s just a matter of identifying that and accepting and knowing that’s just a part of the game. There’s a lot riding on this, so it’s okay to be nervous, it’s okay to be anxious, it’s okay to be absolutely scared of this heat. Coming up against [Liam O’Brien] in waves like this, he’s one of the best, especially in conditions like this. For me, whenever I’m nervous, I’ll go more on the back foot and be defensive. Well, it’s kind of teaching myself, like when you’re nervous, you know, lean in more and attack more. That’s how I would like to surf and how I’d like to perform. So, it’s just doing that. But yeah, it’s a constant mind battle, that’s for sure.”
Who’s In and Who’s Out: Mid-Season Cut Movements on a Huge Day of Action
After Ryan Callinan’s (AUS) loss in the first heat of the day, the scenarios played out thick and fast for the men on Tour. Deivid Silva (BRA) was the next to be Cut, followed by Ian Gentil (HAW), George Pittar (AUS), Liam O’Brien (AUS), Samuel Pupo (BRA), Ian Gouveia (BRA), and Edgard Groggia (BRA), all surfers who entered the event below the Cut-line. Two surfers currently out with injury, Ramzi Boukhiam (MAR) and Gabriel Medina (BRA) were also confirmed as Cut (although Medina has been confirmed as the 2026 WSL Season Wildcard).
As surfers were eliminated throughout the day, those above the line began to be announced as having made the Cut. With Rio Waida (INA) confirmed prior to the event beginning, Jake Marshall (USA) was the first announcement of the day, followed by Griffin Colapinto (USA), Connor O’Leary (JPN), Joao Chianca (BRA), Seth Moniz (HAW), Cole Houshmand (USA), and Alan Cleland Jr. (MEX).
Two Rookies, Joel Vaughan (AUS) and Marco Mignot (FRA), were both confirmed as they battled in their first head-to-head match-up. Mignot took the win in a heat that could prove highly important in the Rookie of the Year race, which Vaughan had been leading prior to today.
Two places remain above the line, currently occupied by two surfers who were eliminated today, Alejo Muniz (BRA) and Matthew McGillivray (RSA). Three men have the opportunity to take their place, Crosby Colapinto (USA), Jackson Bunch (HAW), and Imaikalani deVault (HAW), though the forthcoming battle between Colapinto and Bunch means that Muniz will only be relegated if both the winner of that heat and deVault move above the Cut-line.
For more information and highlights from today’s competition at the Western Australia Margaret River Pro, please visit WorldSurfLeague.com.
Western Australia Margaret River Pro Men’s Elimination Round Results:
HEAT 1: Jacob Willcox (AUS) 11.03 DEF. Barron Mamiya (HAW) 9.24, Ryan Callinan (AUS) 8.20
HEAT 2: Imaikalani deVault (HAW) 12.50 DEF. Winter Vincent (AUS) 11.64, Seth Moniz (HAW) 7.76
HEAT 3: Ian Gentil (HAW) 14.33 DEF. Mikey McDonagh (AUS) 10.90, Alejo Muniz (BRA) 8.37
HEAT 4: Crosby Colapinto (USA) 10.00 DEF. Edgard Groggia (BRA) 9.50, Deivid Silva (BRA) 8.93
Western Australia Margaret River Pro Women’s Elimination Round Results:
HEAT 1: Bettylou Sakura Johnson (HAW) 8.84 DEF. Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 8.33, Willow Hardy (AUS) 7.97
HEAT 2: Erin Brooks (CAN) 11.50 DEF. Lakey Peterson (USA) 10.27, Nadia Erostarbe (EUK) 4.47
Western Australia Margaret River Pro Men’s Round of 32 Results:
HEAT 1: Mikey McDonagh (AUS) 12.77 DEF. Yago Dora (BRA) 11.30
HEAT 2: Griffin Colapinto (USA) 10.97 DEF. Cole Houshmand (USA) 9.90
HEAT 3: Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA) 17.13 DEF. Ian Gentil (HAW) 13.60
HEAT 4: Miguel Pupo (BRA) 15.27 DEF. George Pittar (AUS) 11.83
HEAT 5: Kanoa Igarashi (JPN) 13.16 DEF. Winter Vincent (AUS) 7.93
HEAT 6: Connor O’Leary (JPN) 14.37 DEF. Liam O’Brien (AUS) 13.33
HEAT 7: Jake Marshall (USA) 12.76 DEF. Samuel Pupo (BRA) 10.10
HEAT 8: Barron Mamiya (HAW) 13.54 DEF. Ian Gouveia (BRA) 13.06
HEAT 9: Jacob Willcox (AUS) 15.00 DEF. Italo Ferreira (BRA) 12.87
HEAT 10: Joao Chianca (BRA) 13.93 DEF. Matthew McGillivray (RSA) 10.87
HEAT 11: Jackson Bunch (HAW) 9.13 DEF. Filipe Toledo (BRA) 7.56
HEAT 12: Crosby Colapinto (USA) 16.00 DEF. Ethan Ewing (AUS) 14.33
HEAT 13: Jordy Smith (RSA) 12.50 DEF. Edgard Groggia (BRA) 8.53
HEAT 14: Marco Mignot (FRA) 13.67 DEF. Joel Vaughan (AUS) 12.80
HEAT 15: Alan Cleland (MEX) 13.40 DEF. Rio Waida (INA) 10.50
HEAT 16: Imaikalani deVault (HAW) 14.33 DEF. Jack Robinson (AUS) 11.33
Western Australia Margaret River Pro Men’s Round of 16 Matchups:
HEAT 1: Mikey McDonagh (AUS) vs. Griffin Colapinto (USA)
HEAT 2: Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA) vs. Miguel Pupo (BRA)
HEAT 3: Kanoa Igarashi (JPN) vs. Connor O’Leary (JPN)
HEAT 4: Jake Marshall (USA) vs. Barron Mamiya (HAW)
HEAT 5: Jacob Willcox (AUS) vs. Joao Chianca (BRA)
HEAT 6: Jackson Bunch (HAW) vs. Crosby Colapinto (USA)
HEAT 7: Jordy Smith (RSA) vs. Marco Mignot (FRA)
HEAT 8: Alan Cleland (MEX) vs. Imaikalani deVault (HAW)
Western Australia Margaret River Pro Women’s Round of 16 Matchups:
HEAT 1: Molly Picklum (AUS) vs. Bella Kenworthy (USA)
HEAT 2: Caroline Marks (USA) vs. Bronte Macaulay (AUS)
HEAT 3: Caitlin Simmers (USA) vs. Brisa Hennessy (CRC)
HEAT 4: Luana Silva (BRA) vs. Erin Brooks (CAN)
HEAT 5: Gabriela Bryan (HAW) vs. Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS)
HEAT 6: Sawyer Lindblad (USA) vs. Bettylou Sakura Johnson (HAW)
HEAT 7: Isabella Nichols (AUS) vs. Vahine Fierro (FRA)
HEAT 8: Tyler Wright (AUS) vs. Lakey Peterson (USA)
Watch LIVE
The Western Australia Margaret River Pro will hold a competition window through May 27, 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 Western Australia Margaret River Pro is Proudly Supported by Tourism WA, Red Bull, YETI, Surfline, True Surf, Bonsoy, GWM, Stone & Wood, Oakberry, Hydralyte, Bioglan Boost Mobile, Bond University, Fatboy Bikes, Rusty, Shire of Augusta Margaret River, and Spudshed.
For more information, please visit WorldSurfLeague.com.
About the WSL
The World Surf League (WSL) is the global home of competitive surfing, crowning World Champions since 1976 and showcasing the world’s best surfing. The WSL oversees surfing’s global competitive landscape and sets the standard for elite performance in the most dynamic playing field in all of sports. With a firm commitment to its values, the WSL prioritizes the protection of the ocean, equality, and the sport’s rich heritage, while championing progression and innovation.
For more information, please visit WorldSurfLeague.com
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