Lakey Peterson and João Chianca Awarded 2025 Season Wildcards

Kelly Slater (USA), 11-time World Champion, will compete in the 2024 SHISEIDO Tahiti Pro and Corona Fiji Pro. Slater is the most decorated surfer of all time and holds 56 CT event wins, five of which are from Teahupo’o, Tahiti (2000, 2003, 2005, 2011, 2016) and four from Cloudbreak, Fiji (2005, 2008, 2011, 2012). One of the rarest feats in surfing is a Perfect Heat, where a competitor scores two Perfect 10-point rides in one heat. Out of the ten total Perfect Heats in the history of the CT, Slater is responsible for three, with two Perfect Heats in Tahiti (2005, 2016), and one in Fiji (2013). His statistics at these venues make him the surfer to watch as he winds down his competitive career and focuses on the next chapter of his life.

Joining the world’s best surfers in Tahiti will be five-time World Champion Carissa Moore (HAW), who accepted the wildcard earlier this year when she announced her break from full-time competition. Vahiné Fierro (FRA), the 24-year-old Tahitian local, has been awarded the second event wildcard. Fierro is a Teahupo’o standout and has two back-to-back third-place finishes at the Tahiti Pro on the WSL CT. The second men’s wildcard will be allocated via the local Tahiti Trials competition, which will take place on May 18 and 19 at Teahupo’o, Tahiti.

The two women’s and one remaining men’s Fiji Pro event wildcards will be determined by the WSL Commissioner’s Office closer to the event.

Lakey Peterson (USA) and João Chianca (BRA) have been awarded the WSL Season Wildcards for the 2025 CT. The Season Wildcards will give Peterson and Chianca entry into the first half of the 2025 CT season. Earlier this year, the WSL confirmed Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) and Filipe Toledo (BRA) as the other two WSL Season Wildcards, following their respective announcements of a one-year break from full-time competition. As the Season Wildcards, Gilmore and Toledo will also gain entry to all competitions in the first half of the 2025 CT season.

Peterson missed the Mid-Season Cut by one place after the Western Australia Margaret River Pro last week. She will now return to the CT next season with her wildcard allocation. Since qualifying in 2012, Peterson has only missed the Top 10 three times in her career with six CT victories, including the US Open of Surfing in her rookie year. 2018 marked a major feat for Peterson, earning runner-up to the World Title behind Gilmore, and then finishing third on the World Rankings in 2019. One of California’s icons of the sport, Peterson has helped lead the charge for women’s surfing in her career and paved the way for the likes of Caitlin Simmers, Sawyer Lindblad, and other emerging talents.

In 2023, Chianca led the charge in his sophomore season with three 3rd-place results (Pipe, Sunset, and Margaret River) and a win at the MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal. His overall results qualified him for the WSL Finals, where he finished ranked fourth in the world. The 23-year-old hoped to continue his success this year, but he sustained serious injuries in a practice session at Pipeline ahead of this year’s CT start, causing his withdrawal from all competition during his recovery. Chianca has received medical clearance to compete in this week’s Bonsoy Gold Coast Pro Challenger Series event. He plans to be back in the jersey full-time in 2025.

The WSL Season Wildcards are selected by the WSL Commissioner’s Office following applications from athletes. The wildcard selection process takes into account competitive performance, such as World Titles, CT and Challenger Series rankings, and event results, as well as a medical evaluation if applicable.

“With the rankings for the Mid-season Cut completed, we’ve announced Lakey Peterson, João Chianca, Stephanie Gilmore, and Filipe Toledo as the 2025 WSL Season Wildcards,” said Jessi Miley-Dyer, WSL Commissioner. “As established last season, the WSL Rule Book allows for only World Champions and previous WSL Final 5 competitors to be eligible to earn points in the second half of the season as the Season Wildcards. With this in mind, João would be eligible but we are ensuring he has sufficient time in his recovery, and we are excited to welcome him back to full-time competition next year.”

“We’re also excited to announce upcoming event wildcards for the SHISEIDO Tahiti Pro in May and the Corona Fiji Pro in August,” continued Miley-Dyer. “We’re proud to have these accomplished and inspiring World Champions back in the draw, with Kelly Slater and Carissa Moore in Tahiti, and Kelly as one of our wildcards for Fiji. We’ll continue to announce our CT event wildcards closer to each competition, but we’re excited to share these new updates before we kick off the back half of the CT in a few weeks.”

Slater will also surf in the first Challenger Series competition, the Bonsoy Gold Coast Pro Presented by GWM, which opens on Sunday, April 27, and runs through Saturday, May 4, 2024.

The SHISEIDO Tahiti Pro Presented by Outerknown will be the next stop on the 2024 Championship Tour, Stop No. 6 of 10. The competition window opens on Wednesday, May 22, and closes on Friday, May 31, 2024. The event will be broadcast LIVE on WorldSurfLeague.com and the free WSL app. Check out more ways to watch from the WSL’s broadcast partners. For fans watching in the United States, coverage of the competition’s Quarterfinals and beyond will continue co-exclusively on WorldSurfLeague.com and ESPN+.