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 right-hand pointbreaks from July 12 to 21.
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 he was awarded the men’s 2022 WSL CT season wildcard, which gives him entry into all Championship Tour events following the mid-season cut.
In 2019, Medina became the first goofy-footer in 35 years to win in Jeffreys Bay. After taking a long break from competition, the three-time world champion will not only be looking to defend his win at J-Bay, but also his world title.
After J-Bay, there’s only one event to go before the final five will be decided to battle for the world title at the Rip Curl WSL Finals at Trestles, California from September 6 to 18.
Carissa Moore (from Hawaii), current world number 1, will also be back in J-Bay to defend her title from 2019. The four-time world champion will face tough competition from an in-form Tyler Wright (from Australia) 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 admiration for. While a final five 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 July 12 to 21 July. 2022. For more information, visit WorldSurfLeague.com.
