Obrigado, Saquarema! An epic conclusion to the VIVO Rio Pro Presented by Corona Cero pushed Cole Houshmand and Molly Picklum atop the podium.
Dominant showings from both Picklum and Houshmand earned them their first wins of the 2025 CT season. Picklum had to overcome the noise of Saquarema backing Luana Silva and handled it brilliantly with a 15.00 heat total and leaves Rio wearing the Yellow Leaders Jersey. Then, Houshmand and Griffin Colapinto had their San Clemente clash with Houshmand getting things started with a near-perfect 9.40 before Colapinto fired back. But, Houshmand held firm with more of his forehand power and took his second-career CT victory. The men's rankings narrow with Colapinto surging to No. 6 behind Ethan Ewing who's back at No. 5 with everything left to surf for. Plus, the women's Top 3 hold a firm grip on the rankings leaving Rio as the fight for the Final 5 still hangs in the balance.
The World Title race now heads for its final laps of 2025 with the Corona Open J-Bay starting July 11 through 20 following the shakeups in Rio. You won't want to miss a minute with only two events left to claim a Final 5 spot.