Home / Sports / Pittar Stuns Medina for Maiden WSL Crown
Pittar Stuns Medina for Maiden WSL Crown
26 Apr
Summary
- George Pittar won his first WSL tour event after Gabriel Medina made a rare mistake.
- Lakey Peterson secured her second Margaret River title, tying for first in rankings.
- Pittar overcame top surfers including Yago Dora and Italo Ferreira to win.
Australian surfer George Pittar achieved his first World Surf League championship tour victory at the Western Australia Margaret River Pro on Sunday, April 26th. He secured the win by capitalizing on a significant mistake made by three-time world champion Gabriel Medina during their final heat. The conditions on Sunday were favorable, offering clean, overhead waves perfect for high-performance surfing.
Pittar, who grew up surfing in Vanuatu, expressed disbelief at his win, noting the tough matchups he faced. He had previously been eliminated from the tour at the same event last year. His path to the final included victories over reigning world champion Yago Dora in the quarterfinals and Olympic gold medalist Italo Ferreira in the semifinals.
In the women's division, Californian Lakey Peterson claimed her second Margaret River title by defeating Brazil's Luana Silva. This victory placed Peterson in a tie for first place in the 2026 championship tour standings. Peterson's win came down to the wire, as she overcame Silva with a late surge in the final minutes of their heat.
Despite not winning the event, Gabriel Medina advanced to the top of the rankings, with Brazilian surfers holding four of the top five positions on the men's tour. Historically, Brazilian surfers have dominated the men's world championship since 2014, with only one exception in 2016, 2017, and 2024.
