Lexus Pipe Pro Presented by YETI: 2024 Champions

Lexus Pipe Pro Presented by YETI: 2024 Championship Tour Season Kicks Off In Four Days World Champions Caroline Marks and Filipe Toledo Ready to Defend Their Titles  Replacement Surfers and Injury Updates for Season Start Heat Draw Set for Opening Window on January 29, 2024 More Available at WorldSurfLeague.com

Pictured: Luana Silva (BRA) is back on the CT as a full-time competitor and will face Tyler Wright (AUS) and Bettylou Sakura Johnson (HAW) in the opening round of the Lexus Pipe Pro Presented by YETI. Credit: © WSL / Heff

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BANZAI PIPELINE, Oahu, Hawaii, USA (Thursday, January 25, 2024) - The World Surf League (WSL) 2024 Championship Tour (CT) season is set to kick off at one of the most highly anticipated events of the year, the Lexus Pipe Pro Presented by YETI. All eyes will be on the world's best surfers as they test their skills and raise the limit of what is possible at this famous wave. The Lexus Pipe Pro holds a competition window from January 29 through February 10, 2024. This is the start of the nine-stop race towards the WSL Finals where the 2024 World Champions will be crowned.

Esteemed Banzai Pipeline To Open 2024 CT Season The Banzai Pipeline, located on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii, is one of the most powerful and challenging waves in the world. Widely known as surfing’s proving ground, surfers have been making the journey here every season to make a name for themselves. The wave itself is a hollow, fast, barrel that breaks over a treacherous reef. It has captured the imagination of surfers worldwide for decades and helped elevate surfers’ status both competitively and in the free surf. Over the past two seasons, the women’s CT schedule has been fully combined with the men, kicking off the season at Pipeline. They’ve embraced and excelled in these waves of consequence, raising the bar and breaking boundaries. These women include a mix of the veterans on Tour, as well as fresh faces from CT sophomores and rookies, such as Caitlin Simmers (USA), Sawyer Lindblad (USA), and India Robinson (AUS).  Five-time World Champion Carissa Moore (HAW) put on a brilliant display of barrel riding to win last season. With her recent decision to step away from competitive surfing, Moore undoubtedly remains a favorite to watch. However, the next generation of surfers will be eager to play spoiler at her final competition appearance at home before her leave from the Tour.

World Champions Caroline Marks and Filipe Toledo Set to Defend Their Titles  Reigning WSL Champions Caroline Marks (USA) and Filipe Toledo (BRA) enter the new season eager to defend their Titles. Last year, Marks became the first female surfer to win a World Title for mainland USA since Lisa Andersen (USA) in 1997 and the first women’s goofy-foot since Chelsea Georgeson (AUS) in 2005. She now hopes to further her place in history by winning multiple World Titles.  After an impressive season, Toledo claimed his second World Title, becoming the first athlete to win back-to-back WSL Finals. A 17-time winner on Tour, the Brazilian has never made it past the Quarterfinals at Pipeline, one of the very few places where he’s yet to perform at the highest level.

2024 World Title Race Starts Now Jack Robinson (AUS) started his season strong last year, winning the prestigious Pipe Pro to claim the World No.1 spot early on. After a year of ups and downs, he narrowly clinched a spot in the WSL Final 5, where he was promptly eliminated in Match 1 by Joao Chianca (BRA).  After an incredible run during the WSL Finals, his compatriot Ethan Ewing (AUS) finished the season runner-up to Toledo. Robinson and Ewing will be fired up when the new season gets underway as they represent  Australia’s best shot at a first men’s  World Title since Mick Fanning won his last in 2013. A winner at Pipeline in 2021 and runner-up last season, Tyler Wright (AUS) is a dominant force on the North Shore. The Australian has been chasing an elusive third World Title since 2017 and Pipeline could be the ideal setup to launch her campaign.

Lexus Pipe Pro Replacement Surfers and Injury Updates  João Chianca (BRA), current World No. 4 and Olympic qualifier, has withdrawn from the Lexus Pipe Pro and the Hurley Sunset Pro. This decision was made after Chianca returned to Brazil at the end of 2023 with a focus on continuing his recovery. Chianca has been receiving daily medical and physiotherapy follow-ups, with a total focus on his recovery. Ramzi Boukhiam (MAR) will take Chianca’s spot as the WSL Replacement surfer.  Earlier this week, Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) announced a one-year break from the 2024 CT season. Under the WSL Rule Book, Gilmore’s spot continues down the 2023 CT rankings, and it is not allocated to the first replacement as this is a pre-season withdrawal. The next qualifier on the CT is Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS), who is tied with Brisa Hennessy (CRC) and wins the tiebreak due to heat wins (4 to 3). Fitzgibbons as Gilmore’s replacement via the CT opens up a spot via the Challenger Series. Luana Silva (BRA), as the next ranked surfer on the Challenger Series, then qualifies for the CT in Fitzgibbons’ absence on the Challenger Series’ rankings. Silva will start her 2024 season at Pipeline, marking her return to the CT.  With Silva previously holding the WSL Replacement position and now gaining full-time entry on the CT, Sophie McCulloch (AUS) has been allocated the WSL Replacement spot by the WSL Tours and Competition team. Following Carissa Moore’s withdrawal from the 2024 CT season after the Pipe Pro, McCulloch will compete in Moore’s place as the first replacement. The competition will also see three event wildcards joining the world's best surfers: 2022 Pipe Pro winner Moana Jones Wong (HAW), 2023 SAMBAZON World Junior Championships runner-up Jackson Bunch (HAW), and 2023/2024 Hawaii/Tahiti Regional Qualifying Series winner Shion Crawford (HAW).  For more information, please visit WorldSurfLeague.com.

Lexus Pipe Pro Presented by YETI Women's Opening Round Matchups:  Heat 1: Tyler Wright (AUS), Bettylou Sakura Johnson (HAW), Luana Silva (BRA)  Heat 2: Carissa Moore (HAW), Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS), Brisa Hennessy (CRC)  Heat 3: Caroline Marks (USA), India Robinson (AUS), Moana Jones Wong (HAW) Heat 4: Caitlin Simmers (USA), Gabriela Bryan (HAW), Isabella Nichols (AUS)  Heat 5: Molly Picklum (AUS), Tatiana Weston-Webb (BRA), Alyssa Spencer (USA)  Heat 6: Lakey Peterson (USA), Johanne Defay (FRA), Sawyer Lindblad (USA)  Lexus Pipe Pro Presented by YETI Men's Opening Round Matchups:  Heat 1: Yago Dora (BRA), Matthew McGillivray (RSA), Kade Matson (USA)  Heat 2: Gabriel Medina (BRA), Callum Robson (AUS), Deivid Silva (BRA)  Heat 3: Jack Robinson (AUS), Rio Waida (INA), Kelly Slater (USA)  Heat 4: Griffin Colapinto (USA), Seth Moniz (HAW), Ramzi Boukhiam (MAR)  Heat 5: Ethan Ewing (AUS), Cole Houshmand (USA), Jackson Bunch (HAW)  Heat 6: Filipe Toledo (BRA), Samuel Pupo (BRA), Shion Crawford (HAW) Heat 7: John John Florence (HAW), Caio Ibelli (BRA), Jake Marshall (USA)  Heat 8: Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA), Liam O'Brien (AUS), Imaikalani Devault (HAW) Heat 9: Ryan Callinan (AUS), Jordy Smith (RSA), Frederico Morais (POR)  Heat 10: Connor O'Leary (JPN), Kanoa Igarashi (JPN), Eli Hanneman (HAW)  Heat 11: Barron Mamiya (HAW), Ian Gentil (HAW), Crosby Colapinto (USA)  Heat 12: Miguel Pupo (BRA), Italo Ferreira (BRA), Jacob Willcox (AUS)  Watch LIVE The 2024 Lexus Pipe Pro Presented by YETI will be broadcast LIVE on WorldSurfLeague.com, the free WSL app, and the WSL’s YouTube channel. Also, check out more ways to watch from the WSL’s broadcast partners.  The Lexus Pipe Pro Presented by YETI is proudly supported by Lexus, YETI, Vissla, Florence Marine X, Red Bull, 805 Beer, Bonsoy, Cup Noodles, Pacifico, Sambazon, SHISEIDO, Turtle Bay, Spectrum Hawaii, True Surf, Surfline, Apple Watch, Mananalu Water, Eventbrite, Pura Vida, Alt Sports Betting, and Hawaii Tourism. For more information, please visit WorldSurfLeague.com.