{{Short description|American surfer}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2024}} {{Infobox surfer |name=Caitlin Simmers |image= |birth_date={{Birth date and age|2005|10|26}} |birth_place=California, U.S.<ref>{{cite web |title=Caitlin Simmers Surfer Bio {{!}} Age, Height, Videos & Results |url=https://www.worldsurfleague.com/athletes/13369/caitlin-simmers |website=World Surf League |date=February 8, 2024 |access-date=February 8, 2024 |language=en}}</ref> |height=5 ft 2 in |weight=114 lbs | best_year = 1st: 2024 - WSL World Champion |yearsactive= |sponsors=Red Bull Surfing, O'Neill, Captain Fin Co., Sun Bum, Surf Ride, Nixon |major_achievements= * 2024 World Surf League Champion *WSL Championship Tour event wins: 7 * 2023 WSL Rookie of the Year * 1x US Open of Surfing champion (2021) |stance=Regular (natural foot) | shaper = Chris Borst Designs }}
'''Caitlin Simmers''' (born October 26, 2005) is an American surfer from Oceanside, California, who has competed professionally since 2018. She qualified for the 2024 Olympic Games.
== Career == Simmers qualified for the 2022 CT by finishing fourth in the 2021 Challenger Series.<ref>{{cite web |title=Women's Challenger Series Final Rankings |url=https://www.worldsurfleague.com/athletes/tour/wcs?year=2021 |website=World Surf League |access-date=February 8, 2024}}</ref> Her first victory on the professional circuit was when she won the US Open of Surfing, the first event of the CS in 2021.<ref>{{cite web |title=Caitlin Simmers Wins US Open of Surfing |url=https://surfgirlmag.com/caitlin-simmers-wins-us-open-of-surfing-huntington-beach/ |website=Surf Gil |date=September 27, 2021 |access-date=February 8, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Griffin Colapinto, Caitlin Simmers win titles at U.S. Open of Surfing |url=https://www.latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot/sports/story/2021-09-26/griffin-colapinto-caitlin-simmers-win-titles-at-u-s-open-of-surfing |newspaper=LA Times |date=September 27, 2021 |access-date=February 8, 2024}}</ref>
In 2022 Simmers, who was 16-years old, decided to withdraw from the 2022 WSL Championship Tour to focus on developing her surfing and staying close to her family.<ref>{{cite web |title=Caitlin Simmers Declines Championship Tour Spot |url=https://www.worldsurfleague.com/posts/495343/caity-simmers-withdraws-from-2022-championship-tour |website=World Surf League |date=January 13, 2022 |access-date=February 8, 2024}}</ref> She returned to compete in the 2022 Challenger Series where she once again qualified for the 2023 WSL Championship Tour.<ref>{{cite web |title=Meet the 2023 Championship Tour Rookies|url=https://www.theinertia.com/surf/meet-the-2023-championship-tour-rookies/ |website=The Inertia |date=February 12, 2023 |access-date=February 8, 2024}}</ref> She won the first CS event in 2022, beating Molly Picklum in the grand final of the Boost Mobile Gold Coast Pro in Australia.<ref>{{cite web |title=Caitlin Simmers Win 2022 Gold Coast Pro.|url=https://www.ripcurl.com/au/blog/callum-robson-and-caitlin-simmers-win-gold-coast-challenger-series.html |website=Rip Curl |access-date=February 8, 2024}}</ref>
===2023 Season=== In 2023, Simmers made her debut in the world surfing elite. Her first major result was victory at MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal beating Courtney Conlogue in the grand final.<ref>{{cite web |title=Caitlin Simmers won the MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal.|url=https://www.carvemag.com/2023/03/caitlin-simmers-joao-chianca-claim-maiden-ct-wins/ |website=Carve |date=March 15, 2023 |access-date=February 8, 2024}}</ref> After the mid-season cut, Simmers remained in the top positions of the ranking. She won her second CT stage by defeating Tyler Wright in the VIVO Rio Pro event.<ref>{{cite web |title=Caitlin Simmers won the VIVO Rio Pro.|url=https://surfgirlmag.com/caitlin-simmers-wins-2023-vivo-rio-pro/ |website=Carve |date=July 3, 2023 |access-date=February 8, 2024}}</ref> She was second in the SHISEIDO Tahiti Pro, losing in the final to Caroline Marks. She finished the ranking in fifth place, qualifying for the Final Five of the WSL Finals 2023 in her first season in the CT.<ref>{{cite web |title=Women's Championship Tour Final Rankings|url=https://www.worldsurfleague.com/athletes/tour/wct?year=2023 |website=World Surf League |access-date=February 8, 2024}}</ref> For being the best rookie of the season in the final rankings, she won the 2023 Rookie of the Year award.<ref>{{cite web |title=Caitlin Simmers Named WSL Rookie Of The Year|url=https://www.theinertia.com/surf/caitlin-simmers-ian-gentil-named-wsl-rookies-of-the-year/ |website=The Inertia |date=October 12, 2023 |access-date=February 8, 2024}}</ref> In the final five Simmers beat Molly Picklum in the first heat, but was defeated by Caroline Marks and finished fourth in the CT 2023 Final Ranking.<ref>{{cite web |title=Rip Curl WSL Finals Results|url=https://www.worldsurfleague.com/events/2023/ct/76/rip-curl-wsl-finals/results |website=World Surf League |access-date=February 8, 2024}}</ref>
===2024 Season=== Simmers started the 2024 season by winning the Lexus Pipe Pro stage for the first time, beating Molly Picklum in the final. She also won the Bells Beach stage in Australia and won the VIVO Rio Pro stage for the second consecutive year.
Simmers competed in the Paris Olympic Games in August 2024, being defeated in the Round of 16.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.olympics.com/en/athletes/caitlin-simmers|title=Caitlin SIMMERS|website=Olympics |access-date=February 9, 2025}}</ref>
She finished the regular season in first place, competing in the 2024 WSL Finals directly in the title match. She faced the then 2023 World Champion Caroline Marks. Marks won the first Round, opening 1-0 in the title dispute, but Simmers won the next 2 Rounds and won the 2024 World Surfing title,<ref>{{cite web |title=2024 World Champ: Caitlin Simmers|url=https://www.worldsurfleague.com/posts/534539/caitlin-simmers-becomes-youngest-wsl-champion |website=World Surf League |access-date=February 9, 2025}}</ref> becoming the youngest woman in history to achieve the feat, at just 18 years old.<ref>{{cite web |title=18-Year-Old Caity Simmers Makes History As Youngest Women's World Champ Ever|url=https://www.surfer.com/news/18-year-old-caity-simmers-history-youngest-womens-world-champion |website=Surfer |access-date=February 9, 2025}}</ref>
==Personal life== Simmers was born on October 26, 2005 in Oceanside, California, and grew up near the coast where she started surfing when she was still very young.<ref>{{cite web |title=Interview: Caity Simmers On Machete Wars, Rihanna, Personal Project Problems, And The Rise Of Female Surf Content |url=https://stabmag.com/features/interview-caity-simmers-on-machete-wars-rihanna-personal-project-problems-and-the-rise-of-female-surf-content/ |website=Stab |date=February 8, 2024 |access-date=March 13, 2023 |language=en}}</ref> Parents, Ryan and Tracy Simmers, and brother, Timo, are all surfers, and were instrumental in encouraging Caitlin in the sport. Caitlin quickly fell in love with surfing, and began competing in local competitions.<ref>{{cite web |title=Who is Caitlin Simmers, the "girl" who just won the Meo Rip Curl Pro.|url=https://surftotal.com/noticias/historia/item/22958-quem-e-caitlin-simmers-a-miuda-que-acaba-de-vencer-o-meo-rip-curl-pro |website=Surf Total-Pt |access-date=February 8, 2024}}</ref>
==Surfing results==
=== Victories === {| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;" |- bgcolor=skyblue | colspan=4; style="background: blue; color: white" align="center" | '''WSL Finals Wins''' |- bgcolor=#bdb76b !Year!!Event!!Venue!!Country |- | style=text-align:center| 2024 || Lexus WSL Finals || |Lower Trestles, California || {{USA}} |} {| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;" |- bgcolor=skyblue | colspan=4; style="background: blue; color: white" align="center" | '''WCT Wins''' |- bgcolor=#bdb76b !Year!!Event!!Venue!!Country |- | style=text-align:center| 2025 || Surf Abu Dhabi Pro || Hudayriat Island, Abu Dhabi || {{UAE}} |- | style=text-align:center| 2024 || VIVO Rio Pro || Saquarema, Rio de Janeiro || {{BRA}} |- | style=text-align:center| 2024 || Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach || Bells Beach, Victoria | {{Flag|Australia}} |- | style=text-align:center| 2024 || Lexus Pipe Pro||Banzai Pipeline, Oahu | {{Flag|Hawaii}} |- | style=text-align:center| 2023 || VIVO Rio Pro || Saquarema, Rio de Janeiro || {{BRA}} |- | style=text-align:center| 2023 || MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal || Supertubos, Peniche || {{POR}} |- |}
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;" | colspan=4; style="background: blue; color: white" align="center" | '''WSL Challenger Series Wins''' |- bgcolor=#bdb76b !Year !width= 33.8% | Event !width= 33% | Venue !Country |- | style="text-align:center" |2022 |Boost Mobile Gold Coast Pro |Gold Coast, Queensland |{{AUS}} |- | style="text-align:center" |2021||US Open of Surfing Huntington Beach||Huntington Beach, California |{{USA}} |- | colspan=4; style="background: blue; color: white" align="center" | '''Juniors Wins''' |- bgcolor=#bdb76b !Year !width= 33.8% | Event !width= 33% | Venue !Country |- | style=text-align:center| 2022 || Live Like Zander Junior Pro || Soup Bowl, Bathsheba || {{BAR}} |- | style=text-align:center| 2019 || Vans US Open of Surfing|| |Huntington Beach, California || {{USA}} |- | style=text-align:center| 2019 || Ron Jon Roxy Junior Pro|| |Cocoa Beach, Florida|| {{USA}} |- |- bgcolor=skyblue |}
== References == {{reflist}}
== External links == * {{Instagram|caitysimmers}} * {{WSL profile|13369<!-- /caitlin-simmers -->}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Simmers, Caitlin}} Category:2005 births Category:Living people Category:American surfers Category:World Surf League surfers Category:Surfers from Hawaii Category:Surfers at the 2024 Summer Olympics Category:Sportspeople from Oceanside, California Category:Olympic surfers for the United States Category:21st-century American sportswomen