It took a few days to sink in really, that the World Title was done and dusted. It had been such a see saw year, with Matt Wilko holding on for months, then Gabriel fighting back, then John John into the lead and at the death we had, Jordy Smith, suddenly in the hunt right till the semi finals in Portugal. As a South African I would have loved to see Jordy taking the fight to Pipeline, but sitting in 3rd place he is in a great position for next year and we will take that. At the end of the day I don’t think there is a surfer on the planet unhappy right now, the most popular surfer in the world won the world title.
Lets make it plain, John John Florence is the people’s champ! More fans, more video views and more picks on Fantasy Surfer than any other guy. On top of this, the win does not just reflect on John, but on a whole family and clan of people that he travels with, lives with and adventures with. They all put so much energy and effort into what John has become that they all deserve some of the credit and the fantastic thing about it is, he gives it to them. Our new world champ is not only the best surfer in the world, but also the one with the most humility.
Congrats John! You are the man.
First wave ridden: age 3
First contest win: age 7
First wave at Pipe: age 8
First win at Pipe: age 18
First World Tour win: age 19
First Eddie Aikau win: age 23
First WSL World Title: age 24
Just the beginning for John John Florence.