Two years running Griffin Colapinto’s missed the Top 5 world title decider at Trestles by one measly spot and a few hundred points. That’s one extra heat in a year. Maddening. Lowers is his homebreak, and not getting a chance to compete for a title in his backyard shook Colapinto to his core.
A year after winning two events but failing to crack the Top 5, Colapinto’s cleaned up the early round mistakes that plagued him last year, and is suddenly a model of consistency. In the first six events, he’s already counting one win, two 2nds, and two 5ths. His only throwaway was a 17th in junky Pipe at the first stop of the season.
With one day until the beginning of the waiting period for the 2023 Surf City El Salvador Pro, click play above to re-live Colapinto’s run through the event in 2022, which culminated with last-minute, last-wave heroics to steal the victory over favorite Filipe Toledo. Being the defending event champion over Toledo, and having just just won The Surf Ranch in a hotly debated result over Italo Ferreira, Colapinto heads into El Salvador firmly in the spotlight (especially in Brazil).
How will he respond? If his recent Instagram post is any indication, he’s as calm and collected as a Buddhist Monk, with a zen-like approach to life and competition. We doubt a little controversy will ruffle his feathers. Especially with the yellow jersey on his back for the first time in his career.
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