Moana Jones Wong put the world on notice with her win over 5-time World Champion Carissa Moore at Pipeline. Photo: WSL
Moana Jones Wong won the Billabong Pro Pipeline in classic Pipe conditions on Sunday. It was an historic win. Not only was it the first ever full-length women’s CT event at Pipe, but Jones Womg was a wildcard. In the final, she beat five-time world champion Carissa Moore.
“I can’t believe it. I’m losing it right now,” said Jones Wong after the Final. “This is the best moment of my life. I never thought I would accomplish this.”
Jones Wong was in control of the heat from the moment the horn sounded. In the end, she was sitting on two six-point waves. Moore, despite her best efforts, wasn’t able to find her way out of a wave that would net her a win. It’s a bit of a fairytale moment for Jones Wong, who has been putting her time in at Pipeline for years. At just 22 years old, she surfed the North Shore’s most famous wave like a tour veteran. Her Pipe Pro win isn’t the first time she’s won there, either — last December, she put her competitors on notice with a dominating win at the HIC Pipe Pro. A final at Pipeline with Carissa Moore must have been a surreal moment for Wong, who has looked up to Moore for years.
“Carissa is my favorite surfer,” she gushed. “She’s my hero, I can’t believe this. It’s insane. I always wanted to have a Final at Pipe with Carissa.”
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It was an exciting final, to say the least. In the first few minutes, Jones Wong found her way into a pair of Pipe waves that netted her an early 12 points. The spectators on the beach were on her side, if one were to judge from their reactions. In the first 20 minutes, Jones Wong made every wave she paddled for while Moore struggled to emerge. With 10 minutes left on the clock, Jones Wong made another one, and her momentum seemed unstoppable. To cap the win off, she caught yet another wave in the dying seconds. It was a late drop with a clean exit, and she was awarded a 7.67. Her win puts her at the top of the leaderboard, which is likely not a place the wildcard would have expected to end up.
Since she’s wearing the yellow jersey, Jones Wong has been awarded the wildcard into the next event on the 2022 Championship Tour, the Hurley Pro Sunset Beach.
“This is definitely a dream,” she said. “This means everything to me right now, I can’t believe this is happening to me right now.”
Keep up with the next event on Worldsurfleague.com.
