HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – The coronation is complete for John John Florence. The Oahu native put on a great performance in the World Surf League finals on Friday to claim the third title of his career.
The victory caps off an already outstanding year for the superstar from Haleiwa, and Friday’s final was a best-of-three heats showdown.
He was able to win the first heat in the last seconds and only caught two waves.
Then, at the beginning of the second frame: pure magic.
Florence wasted no time and put in an incredible ride that earned her a score of 9.7 – the highest individual score in WSL Finals history.
This is thanks to Brazilian Italo Ferreira, who fought his way from fifth place to the final round, but John John was on a mission and won the final with a score of 18.1.
For Florence, it is the third world championship title of his career and his first since 2017.
“My family, my wife, my son, my team, everyone, I couldn’t have done it without them. The injuries, the bad days, so much has cost in the last few years to get to this point. I can’t believe it,” said Florence.
The world-famous surfer is also the first Hawaiian surfer to win three world titles since Andy Irons won three in a row in the early 2000s.
And now Florence can enjoy some much-needed time off after a busy year that also included competing in the Olympics – and becoming a father.
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