Last week’s Boost Mobile Gold Coast Pro 2023 at Snapper Rocks proved to be a strong start to the World Surf League’s 2023 Challenger Series, based on the footage posted by Samos Surf Photography alone.
On the women’s side, India Robinson took down eight-time world champion Stephanie Gilmore in the semifinals, before defeating Sawyer Lindblad to secure the win. Among the men, Samuel Pupo defeated Crosby Colapinto in his semifinal, before facing off against Imaikalani deVault in the final, coming away with a huge win.
The Gold Coast Pro was the first of six events in the Challenger Series in which competitors will vie for a spot on the 2024 Championship Tour. According to a WSL announcement, “The Top 10 men and Top 5 women on the Challenger Series rankings will qualify for the 2024 Championship Tour season. Out of the six Challenger Series competitions, only the top four results will count toward their end-of-year rankings.” The series not only provides a venue for up and coming talents to earn a place in the CT, but will also include surfers hoping to return to the CT after whiffing on the mid-season cut.
Detailed results can be found at WorldSurfLeague.com.
