LW Mag LW Magazine
Related Articles
Bronte Macaulay and Cole Houshmand won the 2023 Ballito Pro presented by O’Neill, Stop No. 3 on the World Surf League (WSL) Challenger Series (CS). After an exciting week of competition, the pair overcame a massive competitive field and varying conditions to claim victory.
Cole Houshmand
Vahine Fierro and Frederico Morais finished runners up respectively, earning solid results in Ballito and a huge boost to their Challenger Series campaign heading into the second half of the season.
Bronte Macaulay
In an all goofy-foot Final, it was a battle of the backhand between Vahine Fierro and Bronte Macaulay who delivered standout performances throughout the week. Macaulay got the lead early on, building house and catching waves under Fierro’s priority who opted to wait for the set waves. The point of difference came in for Macaulay with her precision, power, and flair in her maneuvers, releasing the fins and showering the lineup with spray from her turns. With a couple of years of experience over Fierro and went all the way in Ballito including an excellent 8.50, locking in her best result on the CS this year and leapfrogging her way to No. 5 on the rankings.
Vahine Fierro
Cole Houshmand earned back-to-back victories on the Challenger Series after earning a buzzer-beater to take out the Men’s Final in Ballito over Frederico Morais. An unbelievable result by any standard, Houshmand jumped to the No. 1 spot on the CS rankings ahead of the US Open.
Frederico Morais
Patience was the name of the game with minimal set waves rolling through. Houshmand stuck to his strategy of waiting for the best waves, but with long, ten-minute lulls it was Morais who controlled the heat. Houshmand finally found a good wall to work with, unleashing his monster backhand for a 6.33. Not to be outdone, Morais locked in a 7.33 for picking out a cleaner, bigger wave and adding variety to his turns, going vertical into the lip, drawing his rail out for a smooth turn and throwing out his fins for the last maneuver. As the seconds were counting down, Houshmand paddled into a lump requiring a 4.34 and kept his nerves to whack two turns, and stay on his feet to get a 4.67. Morais caught a wave behind him, but it came in after the buzzer and did not count toward his total.
2023 Ballito Pro Men’s Final Results:
1. Cole Houshmand 11.00
2. Frederico Morais 10.66
2023 Ballito Pro Women’s Final Results:
1. Bronte Macaulay 15.67
2. Vahine Fierro 7.70
2023 Ballito Pro Men’s Semifinal Results:
HEAT 1: Frederico Morais 13.77 defeated Kade Matson 12.83
HEAT 2: Cole Houshmand 18.10 defeated Joan Duru 10.84
2023 Ballito Pro Women’s Semifinal Results:
HEAT 1: Vahine Fierro 12.10 defeated Zahli Kelly 10.50
HEAT 2: Bronte Macaulay 14.50 defeated Isabella Nichols 8.60
Photos by Pierre Tostee / WSL.
