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The Herald
19-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald
Gabriela Bryan and Connor O'Leary win Corona Cero Open J-Bay
'I don't have any words,' said O'Leary. 'I'm just so happy with how I performed today. "[Richard] 'Dog' Marsh has been telling me that it's coming this year, but it's been hard to believe sometimes. All the stars aligned for this one, so I'm stoked. It felt good to have so many people cheering for me, and then to perform for them. 'I intended to do some of the best backhand surfing you've ever seen, and to compete with a fellow goofy in the Final, hopefully it inspires other goofy-foot surfers that they can compete against the best in perfect right-hand point breaks.' O'Leary took the win over Yago Dora (BRA) in an all-goofy-foot battle at Supertubes. O'Leary's flawless backhand attack saw him earn the event's only 10-point ride (out of a possible 10) to knock out three-time J-Bay winner Filipe Toledo (BRA) in an exhilarating semifinal to advance to his first final for 2025. O'Leary had a huge challenge ahead, with Dora seemingly unstoppable in J-Bay and his third final for the season. Locking into a classic leg burner, O'Leary scored an excellent 8.17 and 7.50 for a total of 15.67 (out of a possible 20) for the win. World No 2 Bryan earned her third CT win of the season and the fourth of her career in dramatic fashion, defeating world No 1 Molly Picklum (AUS) by the narrowest of margins. After an early exit at the VIVO Rio Pro, Bryan lost the Yellow Leader Jersey to Picklum and flew out to SA to reset and get in a few extra reps at Supertubes. 'I don't think it's sunk in yet,' said Bryan. 'I came here early, putting in a lot of time here, and it paid off. I'm so stoked. It's been a dream of mine to win here at J-Bay. It's an iconic wave and one of my favourites in the world. 'The Yellow Jersey comes with a lot of pressure, so I definitely had less pressure in that Final. I personally like chasing something that I want to go after. The only time I want to be wearing Yellow is the first event next year.' Bryan clinched her place in the WSL Final 5 and will compete for the World Title in the Lexus WSL Finals Fiji. — World Surf League
Japan Times
19-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Japan Times
Japan's O'Leary beats world No. 1 Dora to take first surfing tour win
Japan's Connor O'Leary won his first World Surf League Championship Tour title at the Corona Open J-Bay in South Africa on Friday. O'Leary had the event's only 10-point ride in the semifinals as he knocked out three-time J-Bay winner Filipe Toledo, before beating another Brazilian in world No. 1 Yago Dora in the final. The Australian-born O'Leary only rode three waves but racked up scores of 8.17 and 7.50 in his second and third runs, giving him a two-wave total of 15.67 of a possible 20, well clear of Dora's 14.23. "All the stars aligned for this one, so I'm stoked. It felt good to have so many people cheering for me, and then to perform for them," said O'Leary, a goofy-footer, or one who stands with his right foot forward. "I intended to do some of the best backhand surfing you've ever seen, and to compete with a fellow goofy in the final, hopefully it inspires other goofy-foot surfers that they can compete against the best in perfect right-hand point breaks." World No. 2 Gabriela Bryan won the women's event with a hard-fought victory over Australian world No. 1 Molly Picklum, totaling 13.60 with efforts of 6.67 and 6.93 to outdo Picklum's opening 7.67. Picklum finished with a total of 13.34. "I came here early, putting in a lot of time here, and it paid off. I'm so stoked. It's been a dream of mine to win here at J-Bay. It's an iconic wave and one of my favorites in the world," Hawaii's Bryan said. The tour next heads to Tahiti. The top five men and women after the 11-stop tour will then compete for the world title in a one-day, winner-take-all final in Fiji. Picklum, Byran and Caity Simmers (U.S.) have qualified for the women's event, while only Dora has sealed his spot in the men's competition.
Reuters
19-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Reuters
Japan's O'Leary beats world number one Dora to take J-Bay win
July 19 (Reuters) - Japan's Connor O'Leary won his first world championship tour title at the Corona Open J-Bay in South Africa on Friday. O'Leary had the event's only 10-point ride in the semi-finals as he knocked out three-time J-Bay winner Filipe Toledo, before beating another Brazilian in world number one Yago Dora in the final. The Australian-born O'Leary only rode three waves but racked up scores of 8.17 and 7.50 in his second and third runs, giving him a two-wave total of 15.67 of a possible 20, well clear of Dora's 14.23. "All the stars aligned for this one, so I'm stoked. It felt good to have so many people cheering for me, and then to perform for them," said O'Leary, a goofy-footer, or one who stands with his right foot forward. "I intended to do some of the best backhand surfing you've ever seen, and to compete with a fellow goofy in the final, hopefully it inspires other goofy-foot surfers that they can compete against the best in perfect right-hand point breaks." World number two Gabriela Bryan won the women's event with a hard-fought victory over Australian world number one Molly Picklum, totalling 13.60 with efforts of 6.67 and 6.93 to outdo Picklum's opening 7.67. Picklum finished with a total of 13.34. "I came here early, putting in a lot of time here, and it paid off. I'm so stoked. It's been a dream of mine to win here at J-Bay. It's an iconic wave and one of my favourites in the world," Hawaii's Bryan said. The tour next heads to Tahiti. The top five men and women after the 11-stop tour will then compete for the world title in a one-day, winner-takes-all Finals Day in Fiji. Picklum, Byran and Caity Simmers (U.S.) have qualified for the women's event, while only Dora has sealed his spot in the men's competition.
CNA
19-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CNA
Surfing-Japan's O'Leary beats world number one Dora to take J-Bay win
Japan's Connor O'Leary won his first world championship tour title at the Corona Open J-Bay in South Africa on Friday. O'Leary had the event's only 10-point ride in the semi-finals as he knocked out three-time J-Bay winner Filipe Toledo, before beating another Brazilian in world number one Yago Dora in the final. The Australian-born O'Leary only rode three waves but racked up scores of 8.17 and 7.50 in his second and third runs, giving him a two-wave total of 15.67 of a possible 20, well clear of Dora's 14.23. "All the stars aligned for this one, so I'm stoked. It felt good to have so many people cheering for me, and then to perform for them," said O'Leary, a goofy-footer, or one who stands with his right foot forward. "I intended to do some of the best backhand surfing you've ever seen, and to compete with a fellow goofy in the final, hopefully it inspires other goofy-foot surfers that they can compete against the best in perfect right-hand point breaks." World number two Gabriela Bryan won the women's event with a hard-fought victory over Australian world number one Molly Picklum, totalling 13.60 with efforts of 6.67 and 6.93 to outdo Picklum's opening 7.67. Picklum finished with a total of 13.34. "I came here early, putting in a lot of time here, and it paid off. I'm so stoked. It's been a dream of mine to win here at J-Bay. It's an iconic wave and one of my favourites in the world," Hawaii's Bryan said. The tour next heads to Tahiti. The top five men and women after the 11-stop tour will then compete for the world title in a one-day, winner-takes-all Finals Day in Fiji. Picklum, Byran and Caity Simmers (U.S.) have qualified for the women's event, while only Dora has sealed his spot in the men's competition.
CNA
15-06-2025
- Sport
- CNA
Surfing-Dora takes aerial route to Trestles triumph
High-flying Brazilian Yago Dora soared to victory over Japan's Kanoa Igarashi in the final of the Lexus Trestles Pro in Southern California on Saturday, while Hawaii's Bettylou Sakura Johnson took out her second event of surfing's 2025 world tour. Lower Trestles, the surfing venue for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, provided an ideal canvas for the world's best surfers to showcase their high-performance surfing, and Dora's aerial antics proved unstoppable. Concentrating on the left-handers of the Lower's peak, Dora landed a dizzying array of spins and grabs as he took down event favourites Ethan Ewing of Australia in the quarterfinals and hometown hero Griffin Colapinto in the semis. Just seconds into the final against Igarashi, Dora stomped a giant air reverse on an overhead left, combining it with some sharp turns for a near-perfect 9.53 out of 10. The 29-year-old kept with the winning formula, racking up three more excellent scores on the lefts, the best of which, an 8.37, gave him a two-wave total of 17.9 out of a possible 20. Igarashi, the Tokyo 2020 silver medallist, stayed in contention with some stylish and high-risk rides of his own, but could not get ahead of the Brazilian and ended with a two-wave total of 16.07. Lower Trestles has for the past four years hosted the World Surf League's one-day winner-takes-all Final's day for the top five surfers at the end of the regular season. It was moved to event number eight on this year's tour, giving Dora the chance to surf Trestles in competition for the first time. "I've been watching the Finals from home the last few years and just dreaming about this little left here. I finally had the opportunity, and to come out with the win is very special," said Dora, who also won in Portugal this year. Johnson, on the women's side, took a different approach to Dora, focusing on the long right-handers on the cobblestone point and getting her best scores throughout the final day of competition with sharp carves and critical turns in the lip. The 20-year-old from Oahu's North Shore took down former world and Olympic champion Caroline Marks in their quarterfinal and Californian Sawyer Lindblad in the semis to meet Australia's Molly Picklum in the final. Johnson started with an excellent 8 for two huge turns, improving to a 9 for a series of carves and a big vertical re-entry. With the waves taking a breather late in the final, Johnson's 17 point total was too much for Picklum, who finished with a two-wave score of 14.23. "I came up top today, and I'm super grateful. We got to surf amazing waves today, so I'm super happy to bring it home," said Johnson, who moves up to number 4 in the world rankings. The tour next heads to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil later this month for stop number nine of 11. The top five men and women will then compete for the world title in Fiji.
