The Australian leg of the 2021 Championship Tour was always going to reveal who had put in the work during the off-season. For the now-5x World Champion Carissa Moore, she only needed a few heats to announce how she planned to continue to push the limits of progression.
In her quarter-final clash against France's Johanne Defay, the Hawaiian dropped a 9.90 landing one of the biggest airs of her career and leaving herself and the crowd in rapture. The huge air reverse was so big in fact, that Moore could barely believe it herself.
"You have to keep reinventing yourself when you're amongst a field that I am with the girls constantly pushing the boundaries," said Moore after the heat.
"Having a year off like we did last year I think everyone went back to the drawing board and wanted to see how they could get better. I was just really happy to get it in [the air] in a 30-minute time window."
On a picture-perfect afternoon in Newcastle, the near-perfect 9.90 ride would be the highest scoring wave seen at the Rip Curl Newcastle Cup in the women's draw. The insane aerial stole the show and once again firmed Moore's reputation as one of the best surfers in the world.
While Moore may have overshadowed her opponent with a world-class air, Defay wasn't going down without a fight. The Frenchwoman was surfing lightning-fast on the zipping right-handers punctuating each turn with her signature style.
While Moore pulled away with a 7.43 and 9.90 for a combined total of 17.33, Defay was within striking distance with a 7.50 and 6.60 of her own to finish with a 14.10 heat total.
Even with the 9.90 for the air, Johanne Defay didn't make it easy for Carissa Moore to win their quarterfinal heat - WSL / Cait Miers
However, the momentum shift from that one air helped take Moore to the Final. In her semi-final against fellow US Olympic team member Caroline Marks, the Hawaiian dropped two excellent scores for a combined 17.44 heat total. Then, against Australian Isabella Nichols in the Final, she sealed her first event victory of the season with another excellent 9.50 ride.
Moore would leave Newcastle wearing the yellow jersey and her trademark smile. Johanne Defay and Moore would continue to battle throughout the season with Defay getting the upper hand on the Hawaiian at the Rip Curl Rottnest Search and Jeep Surf Ranch Pro setting up for an exciting race to the Finals at Trestles.
Moore would go on to win the first Olympic Gold Medal for the Team USA and seal her fifth World Title at Trestles to close out an unforgettable season of groundbreaking performances.
Heats Of The Year: Carissa Moore Stomps Best Championship Tour Air To Date
Alex Workman
The Australian leg of the 2021 Championship Tour was always going to reveal who had put in the work during the off-season. For the now-5x World Champion Carissa Moore, she only needed a few heats to announce how she planned to continue to push the limits of progression.
In her quarter-final clash against France's Johanne Defay, the Hawaiian dropped a 9.90 landing one of the biggest airs of her career and leaving herself and the crowd in rapture. The huge air reverse was so big in fact, that Moore could barely believe it herself.
"You have to keep reinventing yourself when you're amongst a field that I am with the girls constantly pushing the boundaries," said Moore after the heat.
"Having a year off like we did last year I think everyone went back to the drawing board and wanted to see how they could get better. I was just really happy to get it in [the air] in a 30-minute time window."
On a picture-perfect afternoon in Newcastle, the near-perfect 9.90 ride would be the highest scoring wave seen at the Rip Curl Newcastle Cup in the women's draw. The insane aerial stole the show and once again firmed Moore's reputation as one of the best surfers in the world.
While Moore may have overshadowed her opponent with a world-class air, Defay wasn't going down without a fight. The Frenchwoman was surfing lightning-fast on the zipping right-handers punctuating each turn with her signature style.
While Moore pulled away with a 7.43 and 9.90 for a combined total of 17.33, Defay was within striking distance with a 7.50 and 6.60 of her own to finish with a 14.10 heat total.
However, the momentum shift from that one air helped take Moore to the Final. In her semi-final against fellow US Olympic team member Caroline Marks, the Hawaiian dropped two excellent scores for a combined 17.44 heat total. Then, against Australian Isabella Nichols in the Final, she sealed her first event victory of the season with another excellent 9.50 ride.
Moore would leave Newcastle wearing the yellow jersey and her trademark smile. Johanne Defay and Moore would continue to battle throughout the season with Defay getting the upper hand on the Hawaiian at the Rip Curl Rottnest Search and Jeep Surf Ranch Pro setting up for an exciting race to the Finals at Trestles.
Moore would go on to win the first Olympic Gold Medal for the Team USA and seal her fifth World Title at Trestles to close out an unforgettable season of groundbreaking performances.
Johanne Defay
Featuring Gabriel Medina, Tatiana Weston-Webb, Vahine Fierro, Caroline Marks, Sawyer Lindblad, Ramzi Boukhiam, Ryan Callinan, Kanoa
France's Johanne Defay first learned to surf on Reunion Island, France's other idyllic, tropical surf destination, albeit in the Indian
Featuring Yago Dora, Filipe Toledo, Caio Ibelli, Ian Gouveia, Kelly Slater, John John Florence, Gabriel Medina, Julian Wilson, Adriano de
Current World No. 4 Johanne Defay took control of an all-star Opening Round affair featuring reigning World Champ Caroline Marks and 2x WSL
France's very own Johanne Defay is back on The Lineup podcast. Johanne talks about the incredible start to her 2024 CT season in comparison
Rip Curl Newcastle Cup presented by Corona
The WSL Photo Dept. offers up some candid moments picked from their thousands of images shot during the four-stop Australian leg of the CT.
Season 2, Episode 2
Joe Turpel and Richie Lovett report from the Rip Curl Newcastle Cup to reflect on all the latest action in competitive surfing.
Italo Ferreira and Carissa Moore have won the Rip Curl Newcastle Cup presented by Corona in commanding, spectacular fashion.
Carissa Moore and Caroline Marks deliver an explosive heat with the Hawaiian advancing to the Final with a pair of excellent scores.
Four-time World Champion Carissa Moore drops a 9.90 landing one of the biggest airs of her career and spot in the Semifinals.