It's the end of the road for world surfing this season! In mid-September, the WCT made a stopover in California for its final event: the Rip Curl WSL Finals. An opportunity to look back on a splendid year for Private Sport Shop ambassador Johanne Defay.
Except for the first round of the WCT - the Maui Pro - where she went out in the round of 16, the Reunionese has always reached the quarters in 2021. On the spot of Rottnest Island in AustraliaThe Frenchwoman competed in the final, which was won that day by local Sally Fitzgibbons. The following month on the Surf Ranch in California, Johanne returned to the final, but this time went all the way to the end and won. The fourth of her career on the tour.
At the end of July, another highlight of the season for Johanne Defay: its participation in the Tokyo Olympic Gamesthe first in the history of the discipline. Although she was eagerly awaited, given her second place in the overall rankings prior to the competition, the weather conditions decided otherwise. Like many of her competitors, the Frenchwoman suffered from random waves that were difficult to read. As a result, she had to bid a hasty farewell to the competition in the Round of 16, ousted by an unknown, Portugal's Yolanda Hopkins. A bitterness shared by the athlete on Instagram: "the reality of my sport caught up with me today... No waves, no medal. Joking aside, I'm frustrated not to have been able to express myself. But in these conditions, I don't think I'm the only one to come out of the water feeling that way. I'm disappointed to have let you down.
A few days ago, the Rip Curl WSL Finals were held at Trestles, California, the epilogue to the 2021 World Championship season. Only the top five surfers overall qualified for these play-offs. Alongside Johanne were Carissa Moore, Tatiana Weston-Webb, Sally Fitzgibbons and Stephanie Gilmore.
With Carissa Moore at the top of the rankings, the title-holder had only the final to contend with, unlike Johanne who had to win five consecutive rounds to take the crown (last duel in two winning rounds). For her match 1 against Stephanie Gilmore - seven-time world champion - Johanne Defay didn't falter. On the contrary, she even managed a personal feat: to win, whereas in their three WCT head-to-heads, the Frenchwoman had always lost. Final score 12.17 against 6.70.
In the next round, Defay continued her Australian parade, as Sally Fitzgibbons appeared in front of her. Unfortunately, this time the duel was not to our Frenchy's advantage. With a score of 6.66 against 11.33, Johanne saw her dream of a world crown slip away. However, by ranking fourth in the world at the end of these finals, she signs her best season since her debut on the tour in 2014.
Johanne recently congratulated herself on this achievement on Instagram: "What a difficult year in so many ways. But fourth in the world! It's worth it! One morning, it's normal for me to be a professional surfer, and the next, I wake up realizing that I'm living the life I dreamed of as a little girl".