| Caitlin Simmers | |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Born | (2005-10-26)October 26, 2005 (age 19) California, U.S.[1] |
| Height | 5 ft 2 in (157 cm) |
| Weight | 114 lb (52 kg) |
| Surfing career | |
| Best year | 1st: 2024 - WSL World Champion |
| Sponsors | Red Bull Surfing, O'Neill, Captain Fin Co., Sun Bum, Surf Ride, Nixon |
| Major achievements |
|
| Surfing specifications | |
| Stance | Regular (natural foot) |
| Shaper(s) | Chris Borst Designs |
Caitlin Simmers (born October 26, 2005) is an Americansurfer from Oceanside, California who has competed professionally since 2018. Shequalified for the 2024 Olympic Games.
Simmers qualified for the 2022 CT by finishing fourth in the 2021 Challenger Series.[2]Her first victory on the professional circuit was when she won theUS Open of Surfing, the first event of the CS in 2021.[3][4]
In 2022 Simmers, who was 16-years old, decided to withdraw from the2022 WSL Championship Tour to focus on developing her surfing and staying close to her family.[5] She returned to compete in the 2022 Challenger Series where she once again qualified for the2023 WSL Championship Tour.[6] She won the first CS event in 2022, beatingMolly Picklum in the grand final of the Boost Mobile Gold Coast Pro in Australia.[7]
In2023, Simmers made her debut in the world surfing elite. Her first major result was victory atMEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal beatingCourtney Conlogue in the grand final.[8] After the mid-season cut, Simmers remained in the top positions of the ranking. She won her second CT stage by defeatingTyler Wright in theVIVO Rio Pro event.[9] She was second in theSHISEIDO Tahiti Pro, losing in the final toCaroline Marks. She finished the ranking in fifth place, qualifying for the Final Five of theWSL Finals 2023 in her first season in the CT.[10] For being the best rookie of the season in the final rankings, she won the 2023 Rookie of the Year award.[11] In the final five Simmers beatMolly Picklum in the first heat, but was defeated byCaroline Marks and finished fourth in the CT 2023 Final Ranking.[12]
Simmers started the2024 season by winning theLexus Pipe Pro stage for the first time, beating Molly Picklum in the final. She also won theBells Beach stage in Australia and won theVIVO Rio Pro stage for the second consecutive year.
Simmers competed in theParis Olympic Games in August 2024, being defeated in the Round of 16.[13]
She finished the regular season in first place, competing in the2024 WSL Finals directly in the title match. She faced the then 2023 World ChampionCaroline Marks. Marks won the first Round, opening 1-0 in the title dispute, but Simmers won the next 2 Rounds and won the 2024 World Surfing title,[14] becoming the youngest woman in history to achieve the feat, at just 18 years old.[15]
Simmers was born on October 26, 2005 in Oceanside, California, and grew up near the coast where she started surfing when she was still very young.[16] Parents, Ryan and Tracy Simmers, and brother, Timo, are all surfers, and were instrumental in encouraging Caitlin in the sport. Caitlin quickly fell in love with surfing, and began competing in local competitions.[17]
| WSL Finals Wins | |||
| Year | Event | Venue | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Lexus WSL Finals | Lower Trestles,California |  United States |
| WSL Challenger Series Wins | |||
| Year | Event | Venue | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Boost Mobile Gold Coast Pro | Gold Coast,Queensland |  Australia |
| 2021 | US Open of Surfing Huntington Beach | Huntington Beach, California | United States |
| Juniors Wins | |||
| Year | Event | Venue | Country |
| 2022 | Live Like Zander Junior Pro | Soup Bowl, Bathsheba |  Barbados |
| 2019 | Vans US Open of Surfing | Huntington Beach, California | United States |
| 2019 | Ron Jon Roxy Junior Pro | Cocoa Beach, Florida | United States |
