Erin Brooks from Canada triumphed in the Fiji Pro, securing her second consecutive victory on the World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour. The 19-year-old clinched the title after Australian Isabella Nichols withdrew from the final due to an ankle injury sustained during her semifinal win over Brisa Hennessy from Costa Rica.
Expressing her joy, Brooks stated, “I feel incredibly grateful for winning these last two events. Securing back-to-back victories at the beginning of the year seemed like an impossible feat, but now I am overjoyed.” She also expressed disappointment for Nichols, emphasizing their close bond and wishing her a speedy recovery.
Brooks made history in Fiji two years ago as a wild-card entry and claimed her first Tour victory by defeating Tatiana Weston-Webb, the Olympic silver medallist from Brazil. This victory also marked her as the first Canadian surfer to win a CT event. In the recent Tahiti Pro competition, held at Teahupo’o, Brooks staged a remarkable comeback in the final against Anat Lelior from Israel, becoming the youngest surfer to win that event.
Following her consecutive wins, Brooks has risen from 19th to eighth place in the global women’s rankings. Her remarkable achievements have been praised by Surf Canada’s Director-Chairman, Lionel F. Conacher, who highlighted her exceptional talent and the growing prominence of Canadian surfing on the international stage.
Born in Texas and raised in Hawaii, Brooks has familial ties to Canada through her dual American-Canadian citizen father and her Montreal-born grandfather. Despite facing challenges in obtaining Canadian citizenship, Brooks succeeded in securing it in 2024. Her citizenship struggle restricted her Olympic qualifying opportunities to the ISA World Surfing Games in Puerto Rico, causing her to miss the Olympic surfing competition in Tahiti.
During the Fiji Pro, Brooks kicked off with a perfect 10-point ride against Sophie McCulloch from Australia in the opening round, accumulating an impressive 18.00 heat total. She then defeated Caroline Marks from the USA in the second round before overcoming Carissa Moore in the semifinals to advance to the final.
With her confidence soaring after two wins, Brooks looks ahead to the next WSL event, the Lexus Trestles Pro in San Clemente, California, scheduled from September 11-20.
