Lakey Peterson (USA) took the Corona Bali Protected presented by Hurley, Stop No. 5 on the World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour (CT). The final day saw incredible performances in clean waves at Keramas on Bali’s east coast, allowing the world’s best surfers to put on a show at one of the most high-performance waves on the planet.
Peterson’s emphatic win sees her reclaim the Jeep Leader Jersey, continuing her red-hot form in 2018. The Californian had only two final appearances last season and settled for second on both occasions. After only four completed events this year, Peterson secured three finals and took top honors in two. Peterson’s wave selection and turn executions were on point at Keramas all week and the Final was no exception with the Santa Barbara native winning with a two-wave total of 14.33 (out of a possible 20) against two-time WSL Champion Tyler Wright (AUS).
“I’m over the moon, this is just so crazy. Seeing Steph (Gilmore) win in Brasil really lit a fire in me, and I came here and knew what I had to do. I’ve just been keeping calm all week. This is a really long year, so it’s been fun to be a part of it so far. To have a Final against Tyler (Wright) was cool. She’s been surfing so well and when she took off on that last wave, I was so nervous and didn’t know if she’d get the score. In the end it worked out for me. That chair up the beach was so cool. There are people dancing everywhere. This is crazy.”
The Corona Bali Protected is the first-ever Women’s CT event in Bali, and it delivered all-time conditions. Peterson’s historic win today solidifies her status as one of the most progressive surfers on Tour and moves her a step closer to claiming the USA’s first women’s World Title since Lisa Andersen in 1997.
“Getting the Jeep Leader Jersey back is amazing, we are all here to have that on our back. I had it for a short second at Bells, then Steph has had it since, so it is nice to get it back from her and feel like the momentum is still with me. Everyone is surfing so well that it won’t be easy to keep. I just want to play my own game and almost act like I’m coming from behind still. I just want to enjoy every moment. I’d love to thank my fiance, my mum and my family for everything. It’s been a crazy few years and it feels like this year everything is coming together.”
Corona Bali Protected Women’s Final Result:
1 – Lakey Peterson (USA) 14.33
2 – Tyler Wright (AUS) 13.74
2018 WSL Women’s CT Jeep Leaderboard (After Corona Bali Protected):
1 – Lakey Peterson (USA) 35,630 pts
2 – Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 34,235 pts
3 – Tatiana Weston-Webb (BRA) 26,105 pts
4 – Tyler Wright (AUS) 23,460 pts
5 – Carissa Moore (HAW) 22,065 pts
