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Days After Failing to Win the 2023 Tahiti, 17-Year-Old American Surfing Prodigy Secures Her Spot for Next Year’s Event

Published 09/20/2023, 8:57 AM EDT

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The SHISEIDO Tahiti Pro has already ended, and Caroline Marks and Jack Robinson claimed the titles with a triumphant performance. It has been a dreamy season so far for Marks, as she also outperformed Carissa Moore to clinch her maiden WSL world title. Now these two surfing prodigies are gearing up to represent America’s surfing Olympic dreams in Paris. The duo is also joined by another wave rider whose impeccable performance in the past few months has earned her a remarkable feat.

She is also the one who gave her compatriot Caroline Marks a hard time during their faceoff at the 2023 Tahiti Pro. However, she failed to win the title and had to settle for second place. In a recent social media post by a surfboard brand, the American prodigy has fixed her spot for the major upcoming event.

Another Surfing sensation rises

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After falling short of Marks, Caitlin Simmers might have been heartbroken, but it looks like she has already redeemed herself. In an Instagram post by O’Neill Women’s, they shared the update that Simmers is going to the Olympics and will be joining Carissa Moore and Caroline Marks. They have posted a picture of this 17-year-old surfer with a caption on the picture that reads, “Caity Simmers is Paris Bound.”

This is such a remarkable feat for her, as she will get the chance to represent her country at the biggest stages of them all. The duo of Marks and Simmers secured the final two Olympic spots, edging out Lakey Peterson.

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Peterson narrowly missed out on the Olympic team by one spot for the second consecutive Games. Simmers met the criteria for Olympic qualification due to her runners-up and fourth-place finishes at the Tahiti and Worlds, respectively.

It was already decided by the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee that the third quota slot will be given to the athlete who makes it to the semifinals of the 2023 WSL CT Tahiti Pro. So she automatically qualified after reaching the finals. Her small but impressive career had a great impact on these qualifications as well.

Her career so far

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She made nationwide headlines and left the surfing world in awe of her skills when she qualified for the Championship Tour, too, at the tender age of 15. She is currently ranked 4th and has an average wave score of 3.41.

Apart from being a runner-up at the Shiseido Tahiti Pro, the California-based surfer has won the Vivo Rio Pro, where she earned a stunning 10,000 points. Simmers also secured a third-place finish at the Surf Ranch Pro after scoring 6,085 points.

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She also clinched the podium finish at the MEO Rip Curl Portugal Pro against her compatriot Courtney Conlogue. When Simmers is not busy surfing, she can also be found on the dance floors or indulging in her other talent, which is editing.

Watch This Story : 3 Simple Hacks to Catch More Waves While Surfing

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Written by:

Abhishek Rathore

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Abhishek Rathore is a US sports writer for EssentiallySports. He is a passionate sports enthusiast and comes with a staunch experience in content writing. So, he blended his love and passion and started writing about all things sports.
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Edited by:

Yeswanth Praveen