After a somewhat tumultuous season by his elevated standards, America’s best hope for a men’s world title, Griffin Colapinto, is just 720 points away from making the WSL Finals. Nipping at the heels of Aussie rival Ethan Ewing, sitting just outside the cut line at sixth on the Championship Tour, for Colapinto, it all comes down to the End of the Road.
With the swell cranked up to 11 at Teahupo’o yesterday, Colapinto settled right into a face-melting flow state. Bagging what he considers some of the best waves of his life before the start of the regular-season-ending Lexus Tahiti Pro, it’s as much a mind game for Colapinto as it is a physical test.
“Meditating made my thoughts slow down. I became the observer of my thoughts instead of being controlled by them,” Colapinto explained before the start of the event’s waiting period. “When a thought pops up, I don’t react; I observe. I’m more present, more in tune with nature. It helps me stay clear and intentional in the water.”
Of course, there’s a huge difference between the pressure of a pumping free-surf session and the unrelenting demands of the competitive arena. In 2024, at both the Tahiti Pro and the Olympics, Colapinto arrived in Tahiti early, scored some epic warm-up waves, but was unable to convert that momentum into his desired results. After his career reached new heights over the course of 2023 and 2024, dealing with that pressure and the psychology of it all has become part of the process, part of the ride for the Lexus brand ambassador and all-star from San Clemente.
Matt Hartz for Lexus
“My back was against the wall. I had to do everything in my ability to show up each day the best I could,” says Colapinto. “Watching everything slowly start to come together from there…I felt like I learned to trust life. That everything happens for a reason. Not just saying it, but actually feeling it.”
Feeling it. After the last 24 hours in Tahiti, Colapinto is definitely feeling it. If he can turn that feeling into competitive success, well, he just might get to hang in the South Pacific a little longer. The Lexus WSL Finals land in Fiji in three weeks’ time, and after vying for the world title the last two years, Colapinto’s hoping that the third time’s a charm.