Molly Picklum wins Portugal Pro and tops WSL rankings — The Guardian

Australian reigning world champion Molly Picklum won the World Surf League (WSL) Portugal Pro event at Supertubos near the city of Peniche, Portugal. It was her first victory of the season, moving the athlete into first place in the overall standings with two events remaining in the world tour, The Guardian reports.

Picklum's victory in the women's final

In the final, Picklum faced 2024 world champion Caitlin Simmers of the United States. At the beginning of the decisive heat, the Australian was trailing her opponent, but completed a ride inside a high wave that judges scored 7.83 points out of 10. This result allowed her to take the lead.

Simmers also completed several successful rides in wave barrels, but scored 12.84 points from her two waves. Picklum finished the final with 13.33 points. After her victory, the 23-year-old surfer said she had dreamed of winning the competition in Portugal and was happy to be reaching peak form at the right time.

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Colapinto defeats Medina

In the men's final, American Griffin Colapinto defeated three-time world champion Gabriel Medina of Brazil. At the start of the final, Colapinto scored 8.17 points for a deep ride inside the wave, but Medina later responded with two successful waves and took the lead.

Colapinto's backside ride, scored 9.43 points out of 10, proved decisive. The American held the lead until the end of the heat. It was his third victory at Supertubos after successes in 2022 and 2024, and he climbed to third place in the overall standings.

The next tour stop will be a tournament in the Philippines that is new to the WSL. The season finale will take place in December at Pipeline in Hawaii, where athletes will contest one and a half times more ranking points.