Caroline Marks (USA) claimed her seventh CT victory, her second in Portugal, in a tight Final against Gabriela Bryan (HAW). The 23-year-old from Florida is one of the most consistent women on Tour, and this is one of her best starts to the season since 2019. After a dream-like year in 2024, winning the Olympic Gold medal and finishing runner-up in the world to Caity Simmers (USA), Marks is riding this wave of momentum into the 2025 season.
Wave selection was key in the shifting lineup of Supertubos, even throwing off Marks, the 2019 event winner, and Bryan, a first-time Portugal finalist who had delivered standout performances throughout the event. The pair locked in two mid-range scores early in the Final before both surfers made mistakes, opting for waves that didn’t offer them open faces to improve their scores.
Marks and Bryan fought a challenging rip that kept them out of position, and a priority mistake in the final few minutes gave Marks the upper hand to play defense and protect her small lead. It was nerve-wracking as the time ran out, but Marks had done enough to secure her second win in Peniche.
“It wasn’t the prettiest Final, but we’ll take it,” Marks said. “It was really challenging, but winning feels so good, I’m so pumped. The last couple of years, it felt like I was building momentum in the second half of the season, so to start off with a win and just be really consistent to be in the Finals Day for every event so far has felt really good. It’s just been such a good environment around here, it feels really special to share this one with my dad. He doesn’t come to many events, so to have him here is really good.”
Marks will carry this momentum into the next stop, the Surf City El Salvador Pro, where she is the back-to-back defending champion. The 2024 Final in El Salvador was the last head-to-head matchup between Marks and Bryan, and also the most recent regular-season CT Final appearance for either surfer.
En route to the Final, Marks dispatched Molly Picklum (AUS) in their Semifinal clash. Picklum hunted for barrels, but she couldn’t find the exit on any of her attempts. Despite sitting with priority for the majority of the heat, the opportunities were few and far between. Marks relied on her backhand for one big maneuver, and it was enough to edge out Picklum who was left wanting.
Adapting to the changing conditions and surfing a completely new bank, it was a tight tussle between Erin Brooks (CAN) and Gabriela Bryan (HAW) for a spot in the Final. It was an evenly matched heat as both surfers showed their power and commitment to the heavy sections. Brooks came close to matching Bryan’s performance, with just 0.20 separating their final heat totals, but was not able to overcome Bryan, who achieved her first Finals appearance in Portugal.
“It wasn’t the best Final, but it was really good to share it with Caroline [Marks],” Bryan said. “She’s just such a good human. Hopefully, we get to share a few more this year. I had an amazing time in Portugal, and we surfed all kinds of conditions so I’m stoked I made it to the Final.”
MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal Presented by Corona Cero Women’s Final Results:
1 – Caroline Marks (USA) 7.90
2 – Gabriela Bryan (HAW) 6.97
MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal Presented by Corona Cero Women’s Semifinal Results:
HEAT 1: Caroline Marks (USA) 8.53 DEF. Molly Picklum (AUS) 7.50
HEAT 2: Gabriela Bryan (HAW) 11.83 DEF. Erin Brooks (CAN) 11.63
