Bethany during the semi-final. Photo courtesy of - WSL / Ed Sloane
After two-and-a-half years on the Women's World Tour, French surfer Johanne Defay has claimed victory to a second CT event, the 2016 Fiji Pro.With big surf and sharp, shallow reef, this event is one of the heaviest on tour (also a somewhat recent addition to the women's tour), and conditions didn't disappoint. For the entirety of the event Cloudbreak was clear, barrelling and offshore—and the women put on performances to remember.But despite the all-time conditions, Defay's win was no easy task. To get to the final heat she had to defeat the likes of current world number one, Courtney Conlogue, as well as the absolute stand-out of the event, Bethany Hamilton.You might recognise Bethany's name from her feature film, Soul Surfer, which was released in 2011—a movie that told what could be one of the most famous stories in surfing history. Back in 2003, Bethany was attacked by a shark at her home break in Kauai, Hawaii, and lost her left arm from the shoulder down. But the tragic incident didn't keep her out of the water and after she recovered, she came back stronger than ever as a surfer and competitor. In fact, just this past January (months after having her first child), she was filmed surfing one of Hawaii's most dangerous big wave breaks, Pe'ahi (otherwise known as Jaws)—a feat that very few women have conquered.Bethany was given a wildcard entry into the event this year and made the WSL's gamble well worth their while while, defeating the likes of Australians Tyler Wright and Stephanie Gilmore and surfing her way all the way through to the semifinals. But that's when she met Johanne Defay, and couldn't go any farther.In the final heat Johanne met 3x World Champion Carissa Moore, and after taking down so many big names in such pristine conditions, the victory couldn't have been sweeter. "I've never beat Carissa before," she said, elated. "She is such an amazing surfer and she took 9-point rides in every heat. It is crazy and I am so happy. I want to thank my family because they have been up all night watching. The waves were really incredible for us this year - we are so fortunate."All the girls were ripping. I felt like I wasn't surfing very smart heats leading up to the Final. I was getting good waves at the end and advancing so I wanted to start strong in the Final. I'm so stoked right now."With the win, Johanne moves from seventh to fourth on the rankings ladder, holding 28,650 points. And with less than 10,000 points between first and fifth (you get 10,000 points for a win), this dark-horse victory has made the Women's World Title race one to watch. It ain't no two-man battle any longer…The men's Fiji Pro kicks off on June 5th, so stay tuned.Fiji Women's Pro Final Results:1 - Johanne Defay (FRA) 17.102 - Carissa Moore (HAW) 10.70Fiji Women's Pro Semifinal Results:SF 1: Johanne Defay (FRA) 17.47 def. Bethany Hamilton (HAW) 11.06SF 2: Carissa Moore (HAW) 19.04 def. Bianca Buitendag (ZAF) 16.60Fiji Women's Pro Quarterfinal Results:Heat 1: Bethany Hamilton (HAW) 12.33 def. Nikki Van Dijk (AUS) 11.26Heat 2: Johanne Defay (FRA) 15.07 def. Courtney Conlogue (USA) 14.00Heat 3: Carissa Moore (HAW) 19.03 def. Laura Enever (AUS) 15.77Heat 4: Bianca Buitendag (ZAF) 14.40 def. Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 10.672016 Samsung Galaxy WSL Top 5 (after Fiji Women's Pro):
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- Courtney Conlogue (USA) 37,700 pts
- Tyler Wright (AUS) 36,950 pts
- Carissa Moore (HAW) 34,000 pts
- Johanne Defay (FRA) 28,650 pts
- Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 28,150 pts