Caroline Marks Offers Heartfelt Congratulations to WSL Champion Following Finals Loss

Despite failing to defend her 2023 title, the young athlete had a remarkable season.

Caroline Marks / Pat Nolan/Getty Images

By Caroline Marks’s own admission, the World Surf League (WSL) finals “didn’t go exactly to plan.” With a win over Brazilian surfer Tatiana Weston-Webb in Match 3 of the finals on Friday, Sept. 6, the 22-year-old advanced to the title match, a best of three contest against Caitlin Simmers.

She was on top after the first heat,, but Simmers stepped up her game in the following two heats, notching the win over Marks, the defending WSL Champion. Though Marks did not hoist the trophy for the second year in a row, she’s still counting this season as a win—and she has every right to do so.

Marks entered the finals sitting at No. 2 in the WSL rankings with one tour event win on the season. She may have ended the season without a second WSL title, but she did secure a gold medal this summer, having taken the top spot on the podium at the Paris Olympics.

“I’m super proud of the year it’s been,” she wrote in an Instagram post following the finals in San Clemente, Calif. In her reflection, the young athlete took the chance to offer her heartfelt well-wishes to the two champions, John John Florence and Simmers. “Massive congratulations to the world champions @john_john_florence @caitysimmers.”

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Despite the ending, it was a big year for Marks, who will no doubt return stronger than ever. But in the meantime, she’s looking forward to a little rest and relaxation—and we don’t blame her.