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> News > 2023 Challenger Series Concludes In Style

surfing News

2023 Challenger Series Concludes In Style

Corona Saquarema Pro Finalists Sophie McCulloch (AUS), Erin Brooks (USA), Mihimana Braye (FRA) and Samuel Pupo (BRA). Image credit: / WSL / Diz

Monday, October 23, 2023

- Erin Brooks and Samuel Pupo Win the Corona Saquarema Pro Presented by Banco do Brasil - Brooks Defeats Sophie McCulloch in the Women’s Final - Pupo Victorious Over Mihimana Braye in the Men’s Final - Final 2024 Championship Tour Qualifiers Determined

Erin Brooks and Samuel Pupo won the Corona Saquarema Pro Presented by Banco do Brasil, the sixth and final stop on the 2023 World Surf League (WSL) Challenger Series. 16-year old Erin Brooks (CAN) defeated Sophie McCulloch (AUS) in the women’s Final and Samuel Pupo (BRA) was victorious over Mihimana Braye (FRA) in the men’s Final. The final 2024 Championship Tour (CT) qualifiers were also determined, seeing Isabella Nichols (AUS) take the final spot in the women’s division and Kade Matson (USA) and Deivid Silva (BRA) obtain the remaining spots in the men’s division.

Erin Brooks Defeats Sophie McCulloch in the Women’s Final

The women’s final began as a low-scoring affair with McCulloch pulling in front with 7.50 (out of a possible 20) total on her two best waves. Brooks then countered and was able to close the gap with a 7.44 heat total. However, the fiery youngster still had another gear in store, adding a 5.00 to her score. Then, on her final wave, Brooks took her surfing to another level. With less than a minute remaining, Brooks paddled into a solid lefthander, executed a deep bottom turn and slammed the oncoming section with a lightning-fast turn which earned her an 8.67 for a 13.67 combined score and her first win on the Challenger Series.

“I’m speechless. The heat started off not too well for me. But God sent me some amazing waves and helped me ride out on my last turn. Sophie is such a great competitor, so well done to her as well,” said Brooks. “I’m so glad that I requalified for next year. It will give me time to work on my surfing. Hopefully next year I can bring some of my airs to the heats. We’ll see what happens.”

When questioned about her time in Brazil, Brooks said, “I love Saquarema and I love Brazil. I love the waves, the people, and the food. Everyone here is so kind, and the waves here are so much fun. Everyone was so kind. I loved how they cheered on everyone.”

Samuel Pupo Defeats Mihimana Braye in the Men’s Final

The men’s Final also began with a balanced back-and-forth between Pupo and Braye. Pupo began with a slight lead of 6.17 to 5.00 respectively. Braye added a score of 2.27 to take the lead. But with the entire Brazilian crowd at Praia de Itaúna behind Pupo, he scratched into a long righthander that provided him with an open wall that he took full advantage of with four consecutive frontside hacks which scored an 8.00 to extend his lead. He then followed with a 5.93 as his backup score to finalize the event with a heat total of 14.17 to Braye’s 10.93 (out of a possible 20).

“It's a huge emotion, the contest was very long, I managed to have great heats and another good one in the Final, so I'm very happy with the victory,” said Pupo. “I found a right that was difficult to get into today, but I felt like I was well connected and that's where I got my highest score.”

When asked about the inaugural trophy for the 2023 Corona Saquarema Pro, Pupo added, “I was joking with my mother that I had seen the same art on PB Arts' Instagram. I even wanted to buy it and the moment I saw it was this trophy, I told myself that I would have to win it here (laughs). Coming here and getting a spot on the CT was already a very difficult mission. I couldn't even believe it and leave here victorious, it just shows how great God is and everything He does in my life. I’m very thankful for this incredible victory.”

Final 2024 Championship Tour Qualifiers Determined

The Corona Saquarema Pro presented by Banco do Brasil decided the final 2024 Championship Tour qualifiers on the final day of competition. Two men’s spots and one women’s position were still up for grabs. Eli Hanneman (HAW) had a come from behind victory over Michael Rodrigues (BRA) that guaranteed qualification for Californian Kade Matson (USA).

“It’s crazy, I always talk about what it would be like to qualify, but it feels different from anything I could imagine,” said Matson. “I’m so thankful to be in the position I’m in. It’s insane, Eli needed to make that heat, so I got to cheer on my best friend and he ended up doing my job for me, so it feels really good. I’m really looking forward to competing at Pipe. I’ve had some heats there, but I’ve never had a good result, so I’m excited for that. It’s been really cool here in Brazil, the fans here are insane, it’s one of the coolest places I’ve been, so I’m really grateful to do it here.”

In the following heat, Samuel Pupo defeated Hanneman in the Semifinals, which guaranteed the return of Deivid Silva (BRA) to the Championship Tour.

The final ten men’s qualifiers for the 2024 Championship Tour are in order:

• Cole Houshmand (USA)

• Samuel Pupo (BRA)

• Jacob Willcox (AUS)

• Crosby Colapinto (USA)

• Eli Hanneman (HAW)

• Imaikalani deVault (HAW)

• Frederico Morais (PRT)

• Jake Marshall (USA)

• Kade Matson (USA)

• Deivid Silva (BRA

For the women, Nadia Erostarbe (EUK) needed to win the event to jump into fifth and final place that would qualify her for the 2024 Championship Tour. Erostarbe came close, but was taken down by Brooks, the eventual winner, leaving qualification with Isabella Nichols (AUS).

The list of the final five women’s athletes that qualified for the 2024 Championship Tour include:

• India Robinson (AUS)

• Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS)

• Sawyer Lindblad (USA)

• Alyssa Spencer (AUS)

• Isabella Nichols (AUS)

For more information, please visit WorldSurfLeague.com.

Corona Saquarema Pro Presented by Banco do Brasil Women’s Final Results:

1 - Erin Brooks (CAN) 13.67

2 - Sophie McCulloch (AUS) 7.50

Corona Saquarema Pro Presented by Banco do Brasil Men’s Final Results:

1 - Samuel Pupo (BRA) 14.17

2 - Mihimana Braye (FRA) 10.93

Corona Saquarema Pro Presented by Banco do Brasil Women’s Semifinal Results:

HEAT 1: Sophie McCulloch (AUS) 10.50 DEF. Francisca Veselko (POR) 6.77

HEAT 2: Erin Brooks (CAN) 12.83 DEF. Nadia Erostarbe (EUK) 8.94

Corona Saquarema Pro Presented by Banco do Brasil Men’s Semifinal Results:

HEAT 1: Mihimana Braye (FRA) 11.50 DEF. Crosby Colapinto (USA) 7.14

HEAT 2: Samuel Pupo (BRA) 13.50 DEF. Eli Hanneman (HAW) 12.00

Corona Saquarema Pro Presented by Banco do Brasil Women’s Quarterfinal Results:

HEAT 1: Francisca Veselko (POR) 5.60 DEF. Kirra Pinkerton (USA) 4.60

HEAT 2: Sophie McCulloch (AUS) 15.17 DEF. Alyssa Spencer (USA) 8.84

HEAT 3: Nadia Erostarbe (EUK) 13.16 DEF. India Robinson (AUS) 5.70

HEAT 4: Erin Brooks (CAN) 13.16 DEF. Sawyer Lindblad (USA) 4.50

Corona Saquarema Pro Presented by Banco do Brasil Men’s Quarterfinal Results:

HEAT 1: Mihimana Braye (FRA) 14.83 DEF. Shion Crawford (HAW) 12.27

HEAT 2: Crosby Colapinto (USA) 14.57 DEF. Imaikalani deVault (HAW) 12.30

HEAT 3: Eli Hanneman (HAW) 16.83 DEF. Michael Rodrigues (BRA) 13.60

HEAT 4: Samuel Pupo (BRA) 14.00 DEF. Marco Mignot (FRA) 13.50

Next Stop: The 2024 Championship Tour

The 2024 Championship Tour kicks off at the world-renowned Banzai Pipeline on the North Shore of Oahu, with a competition window from January 29 through February 10, 2024. All 2024 CT competitions will be broadcast LIVE on WorldSurfLeague.com, the WSL’s YouTube channel, and the free WSL app. Check out more ways to watch from the WSL’s broadcast partners. For fans watching in Brazil, coverage of the competition's Quarterfinals and beyond will continue exclusively on WorldSurfLeague.com and SporTV.

The Corona Saquarema Pro Presented by Banco do Brasil is supported by Corona, Banco do Brasil, the City of Saquarema, the Secretary of Sports and Leisure of the Rio de Janeiro State Government, Vivo, Natura KaiaK, Yeti and TikTok.

For more information, please visit WorldSurfLeague.com.

About the WSL

The World Surf League (WSL) is the global home of competitive surfing, crowning the World Champions since 1976 and showcasing the world’s best surfers on the world’s best waves. WSL is comprised of the Tours and Competition division, which oversees and operates more than 180 global competitions each year; WSL WaveCo, home of the world's largest high-performance, human-made wave; and WSL Studios, an independent producer of unscripted and scripted projects.

For more information, please visit WorldSurfLeague.com.