SAN Clemente, Calif. — Olympic gold medalist and defending champion Carissa Moore of Honolulu won her fifth world title, and Brazil's Gabriel Medina claimed her third at the Rip Curl World Surf League Finals in Lower Tresles on Tuesday.
This was the first time the WSL decided its world champions in a one-day, winner-take-all format, with the top five female and male surfers based on season point standings.
Moore was seeded directly into the final match, where she defeated Tatiana Weston-Webb of Australia to defend her world title.
Medina, who finished the regular season on a huge points lead, defeated third seed Filip Toledo of Brazil in the men's final. Toledo dropped second seed Italo Ferreira of Brazil, Olympic gold medalist and defending world champion.
Moore and Medina won $200,000 out of the same $470,000 purse.
Australia's Stephanie Gilmore lost the first match of the day, ending her shot at a record eighth women's world title.