Gabriel Medina and Caity Simmers Claim Cloud 9 Philippines Pro Titles
The inaugural Cloud 9 Philippines Pro gave Gabriel Medina a timely return to the top of the podium and Caity Simmers her first victory of 2026. Both wins came at a technical Siargao break that rewarded commitment in the barrel and left little room for hesitation.
Local wildcard John Mark Tokong also made an impression, handling four-to-six-foot-plus barrels in the early rounds and raising his profile on the international tour. The women’s semifinal between Simmers and Carissa Moore brought the event’s sharpest controversy: a priority decision during a paddle battle led to an interference call against Moore and sent Simmers through.
Medina finds his winning form
Matt Dunbar/World Surf League
Medina’s victory was his first in 24 events. After three runner-up finishes during the season, the three-time world champion finally converted a strong run into a win—and did so with the title race entering its final stretch. He sits second in the rankings, with Pipeline next and a fourth World Title still within reach.
Jack Robinson, one of Cloud 9’s standout surfers, set the pace in the final with two solid opening scores. Medina had priority when a larger set arrived. He committed to a deep line, threaded the barrel through multiple sections and earned a 9.43. That wave helped him build a two-wave total of 16.93 out of 20. Robinson mounted a challenge but couldn’t find the second score he needed.
“This means a lot to me. I’ve been trying so hard all year long, traveling with all of my crew. I really wanted to win one event this year, and after a few second-place finishes, I just kept believing,” Medina said.
Describing the wave that swung the final, he said: “I took off on that thing and just wanted to be deep. I could see it sucking, and then the foamball came over, and I couldn’t see a thing and just trusted the wave, and then just came out, which felt really good.”
His path to the final included a win over reigning world champion Yago Dora, who had spent much of the year at the top of the standings. The semifinal also featured two ambitious aerial attempts: Medina nearly landed an inverted rotation with 20 minutes remaining, while Dora tried a similar move in the closing minutes. Neither completed it, but a rematch in good Pipeline conditions would put both surfers’ range on display.
“I have been waiting all year for this win, and I’m so happy. I knew it was going to come. Talking about a title just makes me confident and makes me believe in the title and the next event. I love the pressure.”
Simmers wins through injury and pressure
Simmers, the 2024 world champion, was among the event’s highest scorers throughout the rounds. Her quarterfinal against Yolanda Hopkins took a physical turn: an accidental collision led to an interference call and left Simmers needing seven stitches in her ankle.
The injury didn’t keep her from the final. Facing Isabella Nichols, who was also returning from an ankle injury, Simmers built her winning total of 12.00 from two tube rides. It was her eighth Championship Tour victory and first event win of 2026. Consecutive finals in Portugal and the Philippines have also moved her to third in the rankings, following one win across five finals since the start of 2025.
“This is one of my favorite waves in the world, and I was almost in tears paddling out for the Final because I could really feel the love from everyone watching from the water. It was a really beautiful moment, and I kind of let go of my attachment to winning or losing, and just focused on surfing,” Simmers said.
She framed her immediate focus around perspective rather than the title race: “My goal right now isn’t to go and win it (The World title); I feel like I’ve already accomplished my goal, which is to be able to be in a place and be grateful and thankful for the beauty of it.”
The semifinal with Moore remains a difficult footnote. Both surfers were paddling for the same wave when the priority call resulted in an interference against Moore, giving Simmers the heat. Moore later said, “Extremely hard to swallow. I haven’t felt this frustrated with this sport in a long time.”
The tour now heads to Hawaii for the Lexus Pipe Masters. With the 2026 world champions set to be crowned in December, Medina’s late-season surge and Simmers’ run of finals give Pipeline added weight.
