GOLD COAST, Australia (AP) — Florida teenager Caroline Marks claimed her first title in the World Surf League by maintaining the form that helped her defeat world champion Stephanie Gilmore on her home break in Monday’s final over Hawaii’s Carissa Moore.
The youngest competitor on the world tour at 17, Marks beat Moore by 13.83 points to 11.67 in tricky conditions in the final to clinch the Boost Mobile Pro on the Duranbah Beach break.
Rookie of the year last year after finishing seventh in the world series, Marks became the first woman to benefit from the WSL’s new policy of equal prize money for men and women, winning $60,000.