Cole Houshmand Bests His Best Friend, Molly Picklum Jumps To No. 1 After Winning Rio

More than a year ago, two childhood friends faced off in a Championship Tour final at onshore, overcast Bells. Today, Griffin Colapinto and Cole Houshmand got another finals rematch, this time on a bluebird offshore day at the VIVO Rio Pro in Saquarema, Brazil. 

Both surfers had three heats on finals day: Cole won over Jake Marshall, then Miguel Pupo, and Griffin was victorious over Jordy Smith, then Ethan Ewing. But the two San Clemente friends saved the best for last and posted the highest heat total of the entire comp, 16.90 to 14.40.

Cole made the first major move, linking together three major hacks. The second was sublime, simultaneously releasing the fins while submerging his rail and most of his surfboard’s nose. A well-earned 9.40, the highest score of the entire event. 

Griffin responded with an explosive backside blowtail on an overhead left. A drawn-out bottom turn on arguably the biggest wave of the event. Critical as it gets. He barely hung on in the whitewater but was rewarded with an 8.23. 

But Cole responded with a neat 7.17. Nothing crazy, just two solid turns. Then he did go crazy on another left with a vicious fins-free layback. A 7.50 put the pressure back on Griffin, who attempted to land an air on the rights but couldn’t connect with the wobble. And just like that, Cole is 2-2 in CT finals and 2-0 in finals versus Griffin.

“It doesn’t seem real, honestly, I’m speechless,” said Cole, who became the first non-Brazilian to win here since John John Florence in 2016. “It’s been a long year, and it’s been a lot of fun. I frickin’ love this place. I love everything about it. And I’m just doing what I love. It’s amazing. I mean, the fans all week, whether they love me or hate me, it’s the most passionate people in the world. And I love it. I feed off it. I mean, we’re competing in a stadium here. I looked at the beach, and you can’t even see open space. It’s what we dream of and what we live for. I couldn’t imagine anything better.”

The women’s final featured an even more commanding performance from Molly Picklum. The 22-year-old from North Shelly won her last CT event (Sunset Beach in 2024) by hammering parts of the wave no one else dared approach. Saquarema is a far cry from sunset, not even in the same conversation, but Molly used a similar philosophy today in Brazil. All event long, she blasted lips and end sections with calculated abandon. Her final with Luana Silva was no different. Rights, lefts, she smashed them all. In the final, she put up the highest single wave (8.17) and the highest heat total (15) of the entire women’s event.

“I’ve worked so hard this year to really put my best foot forward,” Molly said. “Actually, before I was going out, I felt nearly emotional because I was just like, okay, I get another chance to try and get a victory. I’ve dreamt so much of winning here in Rio, too. I’m a real energetic person, I love the Brazilian energy, and to get a win this year means so much for sure.”

Credit must be given to Luana, who became the first Brazilian woman to make the final since  Silvana Lima in 2007. To get there, she had to beat three world champions: Caity Simmers, Tyler Wright and Caroline Marks.

“It’s been an amazing year and a special week here in Brazil,” Luana said. “My whole family came out to support me. Even my aunty came out all the way from South Brazil. It’s super special to see her, it’s been a while. I can’t thank everyone enough on the beach, too. It’s been an incredible week. The support has been amazing and that’s what kept me going.”

Some additional highlights worth watching from the quarters: Griffin looking solid and beating world No 1 Jordy Smith, an emotional Miguel Pupo knocking out Yago Dora and getting his best CT result since 2022, and Ethan Ewing silencing the crowd favorite Italo Ferreira.

“[Italo’s] definitely the crowd favorite,” Ethan said. “Every time he runs down, the beach just erupts, so I was definitely playing into it a bit. I was kind of focusing on getting the better waves, the bigger waves, just to kind of show what I can do. We’re polar opposites, like styles of surfing, so yeah, stoked to get through.”

While the surfing was impressive, Saquarema leaves something to be desired. It seems like a great event to watch live on the beach with the masses, but compared to most of the CT waves, it falls short in terms of quality and gravitas. At best, it’s a punchy beachbreak and at worst, is a backwashy mess. There are moments of brilliance, like Yago’s buttery barrel and Filipe Toledo’s massive air rev in 2018. But from afar, it doesn’t generate the same excitement as other venues on tour. Strange optics when CT surfers are chasing soft sections while the regional Qualifying Series gets slotted at Nias. To be fair, the CT logistics and cost are larger and higher than, and the WSL needs the Brazilian market to keep the lights on.

That said, two of the best CT venues on the tour are up next: Jeffreys Bay and Teahupo’o. These are the last two events before the WSL Finals at Cloudbreak.  With the win, Cole moved up four places to No. 12 in the rankings, and while Griffin went up three to No. 6. Meanwhile, Molly ledfrogged Caity and Gabriela Bryan to No. 1 in the world. Things are certainly happening. See you in South Africa.

VIVO Rio Pro Presented by Corona Cero Women’s Final Results:

1 – Molly Picklum (AUS) 15.00
2 – Luana Silva (BRA) 9.23

VIVO Rio Pro Presented by Corona Cero Men’s Final Results:

1 – Cole Houshmand (USA) 16.90
2 – Griffin Colapinto (USA) 14.40

VIVO Rio Pro Presented by Corona Cero Women’s Semifinal Results: 

HEAT 1: Luana Silva (BRA) 10.43 DEF. Caroline Marks (USA) 6.57
HEAT 2: Molly Picklum (AUS) 13.06 DEF. Erin Brooks (CAN) 7.60

VIVO Rio Pro Presented by Corona Cero Men’s Semifinal Results:

HEAT 1: Cole Houshmand (USA) 15.06 DEF. Miguel Pupo (BRA) 13.83
HEAT 2: Griffin Colapinto (USA) 14.84 DEF. Ethan Ewing (AUS) 14.20

VIVO Rio Pro Presented by Corona Cero Women’s Quarterfinal Results: 

HEAT 1: Caroline Marks (USA) 12.16 DEF. Tatiana Weston-Webb (BRA) 4.10
HEAT 2: Luana Silva (BRA) 12.80 DEF. Tyler Wright (AUS) 8.84
HEAT 3: Molly Picklum (AUS) 10.50 DEF. Arena Rodriguez (PER) 7.17
HEAT 4: Erin Brooks (CAN) 9.84 DEF. Lakey Peterson (USA) 8.94

VIVO Rio Pro Presented by Corona Cero Men’s Quarterfinal Results: 

HEAT 1: Miguel Pupo (BRA) 12.33 DEF. Yago Dora (BRA) 10.30
HEAT 2: Cole Houshmand (USA) 13.50 DEF. Jake Marshall (USA) 13.26
HEAT 3: Griffin Colapinto (USA) 14.90 DEF. Jordy Smith (RSA) 9.80
HEAT 4: Ethan Ewing (AUS) 14.43 DEF. Italo Ferreira (BRA) 13.40