Latest news with #PipePro
Japan Times
14-02-2025
- Sport
- Japan Times
LGBT surfer Tyler Wright to compete in UAE after assurances of safety
Melbourne – Two-time world champion Tyler Wright will compete in the Abu Dhabi surfing event after seeking assurances from organizers that she will be in a "safe environment" as an LGBT athlete. Homosexuality is illegal in the United Arab Emirates and sexual activity between people of the same sex is punishable by imprisonment. "I've been working with the appropriate teams in the UAE as well as the WSL (World Surf League) and am assured that I will be competing in a welcoming and safe environment," Australian Wright said on Instagram. The WSL confirmed last year it would add Abu Dhabi to the pro surfing calendar for the first time, prompting criticism from Wright's wife and brother. The men's event started in Abu Dhabi's huge artificial wave pool on Friday. The women's competition starts on Saturday. Wright won the season-opening Pipe Pro in Hawaii.
Reuters
14-02-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Gay surfer Wright to compete in UAE after assurances of safety
MELBOURNE, Feb 14 (Reuters) - Twice world champion Tyler Wright will compete in the Abu Dhabi surfing event after seeking assurances from organisers that she will be in a "safe environment" as a gay athlete. Homosexuality is illegal in the United Arab Emirates and sexual activity between people of the same sex is punishable by imprisonment. "I've been working with the appropriate teams in the UAE as well as the WSL (World Surf League) and am assured that I will be competing in a welcoming and safe environment," Australian Wright said on Instagram. The WSL confirmed last year it would add Abu Dhabi to the pro surfing calendar for the first time, prompting criticism from Wright's wife and brother. The men's event started in Abu Dhabi's huge artificial wave pool on Friday. The women's competition starts on Saturday. The 75,000-square metre pool uses the same technology as California's Surf Ranch, developed with 11-time world champion Kelly Slater, which has hosted several world tour surfing events to mixed reviews. Wright won the season-opening Pipe Pro in Hawaii.
The Guardian
09-02-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Australia's Tyler Wright makes surfing history with second Pipe Pro title
Australia's Tyler Wright has made surfing history, becoming the first woman to win Hawaii's iconic Pipe Pro event twice as she snapped her title drought. The two-time world champion beat American defending world champion Caitlin Simmers in a low-scoring final on Sunday (AEDT) at Banzai Pipeline. Wright won the first women's Pipe Pro in 2020 and Simmers took out the event a year ago. Simmers was shut down on a wave with a minute left, and Wright won the opening round of the season 7.70 to 3.94. Wright only finished 10th last year and had not won a World Surf League event since 2023 at Bells Beach. The 30-year-old Australia said winning Pipe again was 'epic' after she was greeted on the beach by her wife Lilli. 'The whole off-season, spending a lot of time just figuring out how to get the joy back a little bit – last year I was injured a lot more than I feel people thought,' Wright said. 'So to come back and have a really nice off-season with my wife, it's so special, this is such a special win. It means so much.' Simmers is yet to turn 20 and Wright is mindful that she had to beat the new guard of women's surfing to win again. 'I know I was up against the kids, who have been doing backdoor shootouts all day,' Wright said. Wright and Simmers also had big wipeouts in the final, where the Australian's 6.00 was the only significant wave ride. 'It was really flunky. We both got flogged on our first waves, it rattled me a little bit,' Wright said. 'There was heaps of water back-washing it with this tide. Then on the last one, I got absolutely smoked.' No looking back — Tyler Wright is chair'd up!The 2x World Champ opens the CT '25 season on top, with her second win at Pipe and her 17th overall on tour.@lexus #PipePro | @YETICoolers Wright spoke of having a different mindset and how well that paid off at Pipeline. 'It's so nice to just enjoy it and to really have that ownership ... not just be here and constantly panicked about things,' she said. 'I was a little bit scared when I was surfing, because I've been injured so many times ... this has been really nice.' In the men's final, local surfer Barron Mamiya became the first surfer to win successive Pipe events since the late Andy Irons in 2005-06. The Hawaiian and Italian Leo Fioravantia tied on 17.97 in the men's final, with Mamiya's top wave score of 9.80 to 8.87 breaking the deadlock. Sign up to Australia Sport Get a daily roundup of the latest sports news, features and comment from our Australian sports desk after newsletter promotion Simmers beat Molly Picklum in their semi-final, while fellow Australians Isabella Nichols and rookie George Pittar were knocked out in their quarter-finals earlier on Sunday. After beating 2023 world champion Caroline Marks in their quarter-final, Wright dispatched another American, Lakey Peterson, to reach the final. Eleven-time world champion Kelly Slater also lost his quarter-final, a day after the American great posted his 100th win at Pipeline. Brazilian Ian Gouveia, whose father Fabio competed against Slater, won their heat. Three days before his 53rd birthday, Slater did not rule out another wildcard entry if invited. 'We'll see, hopefully I get another one some day,' said Slater, who is no longer on the tour full-time. But Slater became a father again for the second time last year and his focus now is on domestic matters. '[I will] enjoy my time off, teach my kid how to poop on the toilet - that's about it,' he said. The Pipe Pro was on the last day of the event waiting period, after it was put on hold for a week because of the conditions.
Yahoo
08-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Slater winds back the clock at Pipe Pro
Legendary surfer Kelly Slater has wound back the clock yet again, ousting Australian Ethan Ewing to advance to the quarter-finals of the Pipe Pro in Hawaii. The 11-time world champ, who turns 53 next week, stepped up in big surf on Friday (Saturday AEDT) at the famed Pipeline break on the north shore of Oahu. Slater began the day by downing Indonesian Rio Waida 14.83 to 12.83. The American went to another level in his round-of-16 clash with the 26-year-old Ewing, who finished second in the World Surf League (WSL) title race in 2023. When the waves show up, so does @kellyslaterKelly's booked himself a ticket to Finals Day! @lexususa #PipePro is LIVE. — World Surf League (@wsl) February 8, 2025 Slater won 17.16 to 14.83 to set up a quarter-final against Brazilian Ian Gouveia as he chases an unprecedented ninth triumph at Pipeline. WSL tour rookie George Pittar was the only Australian man to advance to the last eight. The 22-year-old's two best waves of 6.80 and 7.30 came late in his narrow 14.10 to 13.83 round-of-16 win over Japan's Kanoa Igarashi. New South Welshman Pittar's quarter-final opponent will be Italian Leonardo Fioravanti, who beat Australian Joel Vaughan. Australian Paris Olympics silver medallist Jack Robinson was unlucky to be eliminated in the round of 32. Robinson was awarded a perfect 10 from the judges for an epic barrel in his clash with Alan Cleland, the first Mexican to compete on the the WSL Tour. But Cleland still advanced 12.83 to 12.17 after Robinson was unable to find a second decent-scoring wave. The men's and women's Pipe Pro titles will be decided on Saturday (Sunday AEDT). Australians Molly Picklum, Tyler Wright and Isabella Nicholls are all through to the women's quarters.
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Olympic silver medallist makes early Pipe Pro statement
Former champion Jack Robinson has pulled off one of the waves of the day at Banzai Pipeline as competition got underway in the World Surf League's season-opening event in Hawaii. The West Australian, who won an Olympic silver medal last year, started with a bang as surfers took to the water in the Pipe Pro after a two-day delay. With waves between one and two metres on the North Shore of O'ahu, Robinson, who won the Pipe event in 2023, opened with a barrel that scored 8.00, which was the highest of the first round. Lining up against compatriot Liam O'Brien and Alan Cleland, who is the first Mexican ever to compete full-time on Championship Tour, Robinson kept busy and added a 5.10 from his seven waves for a convincing win. Cleland's two-wave total of 8.43 pipped O'Brien's 8.17, sending the Queenslander into the sudden death round. Eleven-time world champion Kelly Slater, who came out of competitive retirement to take up a wildcard, was a heat winner as was reigning world No.1 John John Florence, who announced last week he planned to take the year off following his home-town leg. Slater, 52, showed he was still one of the best in the business at Pipe, which he last won in 2022, by beating Brazil's world No.2 Italo Ferreira to win the heat. Robbo slipping under the hood@lexus #PipePro mens opening round is LIVE, full coverage streaming now@yeti — World Surf League (@wsl) January 29, 2025 Of the remainder of the Australian brigade in the men's event, fifth-ranked Ethan Ewing finished behind South African Matthew McGillivray but avoided the elimination round. Rookie George Pittar, who grew up in Vanuatu before moving to Sydney, was top two in his heat while another newcomer, 21-year-old Joel Vaughan, and veteran Ryan Callinan were third so are headed for sudden death. The women's competition is set to get underway following the men's round, with Molly Picklum, Sally Fitzgibbons, Isabella Nichols and Tyler Wright in action.
