CHALLENGER SERIES UPDATE: MACY CALLAGHAN & THE AUSSIES LEAD THE CHARGE

Macy Callaghan and Ryan Callinan were standouts among a very good showing from an Australian contingent that did particularly well in the men’s section of the most recent Challenger Series event at Portugal’s Ericeira beach.

It was Central Coast surfer Callaghan who shone most brightly though, winning the women’s event after coming second in her two previous Challenger Series outings. She overcame sixteen year old American prodigy Caitlin Simmers convincingly in the final, winning 13.83 to 7.40 to move to first on the rankings and virtually guarantee her return to the Championship Tour next year. Simmers and the twenty one year old Macy will be exciting prospects in the years to come. Simmers, who at such a young age conjures comparisons with Tyler Wright, who also came to prominence in her mid-teens, is a particularly exciting talent. Simmers qualified for the 2022 CT but declined the offer, electing to spend more time ‘working on her surfing’. There is no doubt she is ready to rumble with the best in 2023.

The men’s event was like a throwback to a bygone era as Australian surfers did exceedingly well, making up five of the final eight quarter final places. Dylan Moffat, Liam O’Brien Morgan Cibilic and Jacob Wilcox all significantly improved their standings markedly while Ryan Callinan qualified for next year’s Dream Tour after his vertical backhand attack sliced its way to the final in an event he won a few years ago.

Only a red hot Leo Fioravanti could stop Ryan (16.27 – 14.00) in the rippable, long running four to five feet Ericeira point break waves.

Having already planned to miss the next event in Brazil to get married, Ryan would have been very satisfied with a result which now moves him to third on the standings behind Leo and Rio Waida, and guarantees his return to the CT. Meanwhile Rio becomes the first ever Indonesian man or woman to qualify for the sports highest tier.

With R Call, Liam O’Brian and Moffat all in the top six with what already looks like enough points to qualify, the pressure will be on Cibilic and Wilcox, who sit either side of the ten man CT qualification cut off line. Should they both make it, five out of the ten places available will be claimed by Australians. With only two events remaining on the Challenger Series schedule( Brazil and Hawaii, which is listed as tentative) it’s a real possibility that Australia will claim the lion’s share of available slots on next year’s men’s CT.

The Challenger Series now heads to Brazil with the Saquarema Pro event window beginning on November 8^th.

Men’s Challenger Series Top 10:
1 – Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA) (QUALIFIED)     
2 – Rio Waida (INDO) (QUALIFIED)                         
3 – Ryan Callinan (AUS)   (QUALIFIED)           
4 – Liam O’Brien (AUS) 
5 – Ezekiel Lau (HAW) 
6 – Dylan Moffat(AUS) 
7 – Ian Gentil (HAW) 
8 – Michael Rodrigues (BRA) 
9 – Maxime Huscenot (FRA) 
10 – Morgan Cibilic (AUS) 

Women’s Challenger Series Top 5:
1 – Macy Callaghan (AUS) 
2 – Molly Picklum (AUS) 
3 – Caitlin Simmers (USA) 
4 – Bettylou Sakura Johnson (HAW) 
5 – Nikki Van Dijk (AUS)