Picklum Beats Silva in Saquarema Final, Seizes WSL Lead

Australian surfer Molly Picklum won the Vivo Rio Pro in Saquarema on Sunday, defeating Brazil’s Luana Silva 15.00 to 9.23 in a 40-minute final and moving to the top of the World Surf League women’s rankings. Silva, 21, became the first Brazilian woman to reach the final of a WSL event on home sand since Andrea Lopes triumphed in 1999. On her way to the decider, the Hawaiian-born Brazilian eliminated reigning world champion Caroline Marks and former title-holders Tyler Wright and Caitlin Simmers. The runner-up finish lifts Silva to ninth on the leaderboard as she pursues a top-five berth and a spot in the season-ending Finals in Fiji. In the men’s draw, American Cole Houshmand captured the title with a 16.90-14.40 win over compatriot Griffin Colapinto, becoming the first foreign surfer to claim the Saquarema trophy since 2002 and snapping a six-event Brazilian winning streak.