Molly Picklum moves to WSL lead with Portugal Pro win; Griffin Colapinto takes men's final

Molly Picklum defeated Caitlin Simmers to win the Portugal Pro at Supertubos in Peniche on Friday, securing her first victory of the year and moving to the top of the World Surf League rankings with two events remaining.

In the men's final at the same event, Griffin Colapinto produced a near-perfect barrel to overtake Gabriel Medina and claim the win, adding to his previous Supertubos victories and affecting the men’s tour standings.

Picklum, Australia’s reigning world champion, had won her first world title in Fiji last year but had reached only one final this season before Portugal; she had identified a win here as a target ahead of the season finale in Hawaii in December. "It was a dream of mine to win here," the 23-year-old said. "Portugal is like the cross between the ​Brazilian energy and Pipeline. Those are two of ‌my favourite things. "I’m really happy to ‌hit my stride at the right time. We work so hard and not many people get to win, but ‌I’m so stoked to get my win this year."

Facing California’s 2024 world champion Caitlin Simmers in the final, Picklum trailed early before locking into a deep, overhead tube on her backhand that scored 7.83 out of 10 and delivered the lead. Simmers threaded a number of tubes but finished with a two-wave total of 12.84 to Picklum’s 13.33.

Colapinto, 28, extended his strong record at Supertubos by taking the men's title, marking event wins there in 2022, 2024 and 2026. He began the final by hustling Medina for the first wave, pulled into a deep forehand barrel for an 8.17 and followed with a similar ride to increase the pressure on Brazil’s three-time world champion.

Medina responded with a backhand barrel and then another long tube to move ahead, but Colapinto found a backhand gem late, disappearing behind the curtain and emerging near the crowd for a 9.43 out of a possible 10, a score he held until the clock ran out.

"That’s the dream. How ​good were the waves ​out there?" said Colapinto, who climbed to third in the rankings after his win. "The battle with Gabriel was unreal … Portugal has a big place in my heart."

The tour moves next to a new stop in the Philippines before the final event of the year at Pipeline, where 1.5 times points will be on offer.