Following a string of fifth- and ninth-place showings in this year’s Women’s Championship Tour, Santa Barbara pro surfer Lakey Peterson was back in fine form this Wednesday as she won the World Surf League’s (WSL) Corona Open J-Bay. Held at Supertubes in Jeffreys Bay, South Africa, the competition was the ninth of 10 stops on the globetrotting tour, and the victory marked the fifth WSL event title of Peterson’s career and her first since 2019.
Described by the WSL as “a legitimate world title threat in 2018 and 2019,” Peterson suffered a lower-back injury in 2021, which she’s been fighting to come back from ever since. At this week’s competition, the 28-year-old regular-foot powerhouse found her footing again, beating out up-and-coming rookie Caitlin Simmers (U.S.A.), former runner-up in the world Caroline Marks (U.S.A.), and two-time World Champion Tyler Wright (AUS) before out-surfing Molly Picklum (AUS) in the last heat.
“This is my favorite event on the calendar. It’s just special,” Peterson said. “I’m dedicating this to my sister-in-law who we lost this time of year last year, so there’s a lot of emotions.”
Peterson now moves up to the No. 6 spot on the WSL women’s rankings ahead of the final stop of 2023, the SHISEIDO Tahiti Pro, which holds a competition window August 11-20. There, she will have one final chance to clinch a spot among the Final 5, which would qualify her for a shot at the World Title at the season-ending WSL Finals.
Check out some highlights from Peterson’s heats at Supertubes and her victory celebration below and see worldsurfleague.com for all the latest on the Championship Tour.
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