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> News > Afonso Antunes and Caitlin Simmers are 2019 Rip Curl GromSearch Champions!

surfing News

Afonso Antunes and Caitlin Simmers are 2019 Rip Curl GromSearch Champions!

Winners podium at 2019 Rip Curl GromSearch International final: L-R Taro Watanabe (USA) (boys runner up), Afonso Antunes (PRT) (boys winner), Caitlin Simmers (USA) (girls winner) and Valeria Ojeda (USA) (girls runner up), at Playa Hermosa, Costa Rica, May 19. Image credit: / Rip Curl

19 May 2019

With twenty years of Rip Curl GromSearch history, as well as celebrating fifteen years of International GromSearch Champions, today two surfers added their names to the prestigious winners list.

Afonso Antunes (PRT) and Caitlin Simmers (USA) will forever have their names engraved in the GromSearch history books, as they battled against the very best 16 & under talent from all over the globe. Twelve countries represented the competitor field, which was heavily tested by the pounding five-to-six-foot Playa Hermosa surf. With beautiful sunny skies, light winds, and a large crowd on hand, all the ingredients were provided for the groms to put on a quality show.

The local Costa Rican contingent made the most of their opportunities with three male surfers entering the quarterfinals, but it was only Sam Reidy who advanced to the semifinal, falling short to an in-form Afonso Atunes. On the other side of the draw Taro Watanabe (USA) was able to secure a spot in the final by defeating Adur Amatriain (ESP). Watanabe was a clear standout as he posted three of the top five combined heat totals of the entire event.

“This entire contest was so exciting because the level of surfing was so high. Everyone was surfing so good and every heat was exciting to watch and to be in. Even though I didn’t get many opportunities in the final, just being in the final with Afonso was my highlight,” explained Watanabe.

Lully conditions didn’t allow for Watanabe to answer back to Atunes’s quick start in the boy’s final as he opened with a 7.33 using a ferocious backhand combination of manoeuvres and backed it up with a 6.70 to put the heat out of reach.

“I don’t have many words to describe how I’m feeling, I’m over the moon right now. I worked so hard for this, to get the job done; I’ve been doing a few events to train for this competition, and I did it! I love this event because I got to meet new friends, plus the waves were amazing, and I love Costa Rica. I definitely want to come back to this beautiful place,” described an enthusiastic Antunes.

15-year-old, Atunes, is only the second European to ever win the GromSearch Int’l Final, following in the footsteps of WSL WCT competitor, Leo Fioravanti (ITA).

Shifting to the highly anticipated girl’s Final, the event saw its youngest Champion in history, as 13-year-old, Caitlin Simmers absolutely dismantled the field on her way to victory over Valeria Ojeda (CRI). Simmers repeated her sensational performance from Day 2, as she once again secured the day’s highest wave score (8.83), and combined heat total (17.00).

“I’m really really happy. Thank you to Rip Curl for putting on the event, thank you to my family for their support, and thanks to everyone behind the scenes at this contest who brought us here to Costa Rica. It was great to see the local girl surfers get a chance to be in the event through the trials and I was stoked to be able to surf against Valeria.”

That wraps things up for the 2019 Rip Curl GromSearch International Final. We look forward to another year of great regional events taking place in over 10 countries across the world and look forward to returning to another exciting location for the 2020 International Final.

Rip Curl would like to thank the local community of Playa Hermosa, the Federacion de Surf de Costa Rica, and The Backyard Beach Hotel for their support of the 2019 Rip Curl GromSearch International Final.

For more information, please visit ripcurl.com

RESULTS:

Quarterfinals – Boys Results

Quarter 1: Taro Watanabe (USA) 15.00 DEF Tao Rodriquez (PAN) 9.10

Quarter 2: Adur Amatriain (ESP) 11.33 DEF Finn Cox (AUS) 9.64

Quarter 3: Afonso Atunes (PRT) 13.83 DEF Aaron Ramirez (CRI) 13.67

Quarter 4: Sam Reidy (CRI) 12.80 DEF Ryuki Waida (IND) 12.00

Final – Girls Result

Caitlin Simmers (USA) 17.00 DEF Valeria Ojeda (CRI)

GromSearch International final - Locations

The first GromSearch International final was held at Bells Beach, Australia as part of the 2005 Rip Curl Pro, WSL tour event. Since 2014 the International final has been on ‘the Search’, looking for new and exciting locations to run the event.

2019 – Playa Hermosa, Costa Rica.

2018 – Raglan, New Zealand.

2017 - Maresias Beach, Brazil.

2016 - Ala Moana Bowls, Waikiki, Hawaii, USA.

2015 - Maresias Beach, Sao Paulo Brazil.

2014 - Lakey Peak, Sumbawa Indonesia.

2005 - 2013 – Bells Beach, Victoria Australia.

About the GromSearch:

Since Rip Curl developed the concept for the GromSearch events in 1999, the series has spread throughout the surfing world and now culminates with an International final held at a different location each year. The worldwide series is held for male and female surfers aged 16 years and under, commonly referred to as “groms”, with the aim of the GromSearch is to nurture and recruit the next generation of surfers at a grassroots level.

Former GromSearch champions include current WSL World Tour stars; Gabriel Medina, Owen Wright, Jordy Smith, Matt Wilkinson, Kanoa Igarashi, Kolohe Andino, Tyler Wright, Stephanie Gilmore, Brisa Hennessy, Caroline Marks, and Sally Fitzgibbons.

For more information on Rip Curl, please head here.