World’s Best Surfers Set To Return To JBay For Corona Open
- Championship Tour Event Returns After Two Years
- More Available at WorldSurfLeague.com
JEFFREYS BAY, Eastern Cape, South Africa
The Corona Open J-Bay, the ninth stop on the World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour (CT), is set to return to Jeffreys Bay after a two-year postponement due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The world’s best surfers will take on one of the world’s most renowned righthand pointbreaks from 12 to July 21 2022.
This year there’s even more at stake with a reduced field of 22 men and 10 women who will have made the Mid-year cut-off after the Margaret River Pro in Western Australia. The 2019 Corona Open J-Bay winner, Gabriel Medina(BRA), will return to Supertubes after being awarded the men’s 2022 WSL CT season wildcard. This gives him entry into all Championship Tour events following the Mid-season Cut.
Gabriel Medina of Brazil in pumping overhead conditions at Supertubes, Jeffreys Bay, South Africa. © WSL/Cestari
In 2019, Medina became the first goofy-footer in 35 years to win in Jeffreys Bay. After taking an extended break from competition, the three-time World Champion will not only be looking to defend his win at JBay but also his World Title. After JBay, there’s only one event before the Final 5 will be decided to battle for the World Title at the Rip Curl WSL Finals at Trestles, California, from 6-18 September 2022.
Carissa Moore (HAW), current world number 1, will also be back in JBay to defend her title from 2019. The four-time World Champion will face tough competition from an in-form Tyler Wright (AUS) and 2019 runner-up Lakey Peterson (USA).
South Africa’s Jordy Smith, a two-time event winner in Jeffreys Bay, will hope to score a solid performance in front of his home crowd at a wave he has proven his knowledge, experience, and skill. While a Final 5 finish might be out of reach for Smith, he could play spoiler for those closer to the cut-off.
Watch LIVE
Watch the Corona Open J-Bay LIVE on WorldSurfLeague.com from 12 – 21 July 2022.
About the WSL
Established in 1976, the World Surf League (WSL) is the home of the world’s best surfing. A global sports, media and entertainment company, the WSL oversees international tours and competitions, a studios division creating over 500+ hours of live and on-demand content, and via affiliate WaveCo, the home of the world’s largest high performance, human-made wave. Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, the WSL has regional offices in North America, Latin America, Asia Pacific, and EMEA.
The WSL annually crowns the men’s and women’s surfing World Champions. The global Tours and Competition division oversees and operates more than 180 international contests each year across the Championship Tour, the development tiers, including the Challenger, Qualifying and Junior Series, and longboard and big wave properties.
Launched in 2019, WSL Studios is an independent producer of unscripted television projects, including documentaries and series, which provide unprecedented access to athletes, events, and locations worldwide. WSL events and content are distributed on linear television in over 743M+ homes worldwide and across global digital and social media platforms, including WorldSurfLeague.com.
WaveCo includes the Surf Ranch Lemoore facility and the utilizing and licensing of the Kelly Slater Wave System.
The WSL is dedicated to changing the world through the inspirational power of surfing by creating authentic events, experiences, and storytelling to inspire a growing, global community to live with purpose, originality, and stoke.
For more information, please visit WorldSurfLeague.com.
Bianca van Aardt
WSL Africa Media Manager
+27 82 773 5407
Craig Jarvis
Corona Open J-Bay Media Manager
+27 82 376 4443
Colin Fitch
WSL Africa Regional Manager
+27 82 699 4493
Ari Kraak
Corona Open J-Bay Event Director
+27 82 782 2725
WHO HAS MADE THE CUT SO FAR?