San Clemente’s Houshmand wins big at Fiji Pro surf contest

Keep working hard, and it will pay off.

That’s the takeaway for San Clemente surfer Cole Houshmand, who said he had spent the last few months questioning himself, trying to get out of the rut he found himself in for the first half of the competitive season on the World Surf League World Tour.

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At six elite-level World Tour events, Houshmand was knocked out in the first round, dropping in the rankings to the point where he was at risk of not qualifying next year. He’s been traveling around the world — Australia, El Salvador, Brazil — only to pack his bags early while the other surfers continued in their heats, earned points, made waves.

But this week at Cloudbreak, a barreling surf spot that slams straight onto sharp reef, it all turned around for Houshmand who took the win in the Fiji Pro.

“It’s surreal, honestly. I don’t know if I really have the words for it yet,” Houshmand said via cell phone Wednesday, Sept. 2, shortly after taking the win.

Houshmand won heat after heat at Cloudbreak, including a quarterfinal match up against current world champion Yago Dora, to find himself in the finals against another Brazilian powerhouse, three-time world champion Gabriel Medina.

In the women’s event, it was Canadian surfer Erin Brooks who earned the Fiji Pro win after opponent Isabella Nichols had to pull out of the event following an injury. It made for a back-to-back win for the 19-year-old surfer.

Houshmand nearly matched up with friend Griffin Colapinto, but Colapinto’s run was ended by Medina in the semifinals.

Houshmand started the heat strong, earning an 8.50 on a solid wave, then backing it up with a mid-range 6.33.

“I knew it was game on from there,” he said.

Medina posted a 5.17, and then with eight minutes on the clock, dropped into a deep, racy barrel, navigating it with perfection, his body disappearing into the watery cave, judges awarding him a perfect 10-point score.

Houshmand had just finished a wave that earned him an 8.37 when he looked back to see Medina’s perfect wave.

Houshmand was still in the lead, with Medina needing a second score of at least 6.87, an easy feat for the seasoned surfer.

So Houshmand used strategy and patience, utilizing his priority to sit close to Medina to keep him off any waves.

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“It was the longest five minutes of my life to make sure I held him off,” Houshmand said, knowing his opponent’s lethal abilities at the surf break. “I knew I had to play it safe.”

The tactic worked, the buzzer blared and Houshmand was scooped up by a watercraft for a victory lap, an American flag hoisted in victory.

“It’s unreal; the story of the whole year for me has been the worst start I’ve had in a long time, questioning a lot of things. From there, to now, it just really puts in perspective that everything is meant to happen — and keep working hard and it will pay off,” Houshmand said. “‘Persevering,’ has been the word I’ve been using a lot. No matter the results, stick with the  program.”

Making the final with Medina was already special, Houshmand said, he has long looked up to Medina and the two have become good friends during the two years the San Clemente surfer has been on the World Tour.

Medina, in an interview with WSL, said he was happy to get the 10-point ride and compete against Houshmand in the finals.

“He’s a good friend and has been ripping so much, and we’ve been surfing a bunch together, so we already had a few heats before the final, which was really good because we’ve been pushing each other,” Medina said.

Sometimes, life doesn’t go the way you expect, Houshmand said.

“Maybe there is a reason for me to have all of those losses and for this to happen,” he said. “It’s been amazing, and it’s been a long year, but I couldn’t imagine it any other way.”

Now, he gets to come home to San Clemente fresh off a win, no doubt adding fuel for the next event, the Lexus Trestles Pro, in his backyard at the wave he grew up surfing.

“I couldn’t picture a better way to be coming back home for the next event,” he said. “It’s an event I look forward to every year.

“Lowers is in my backyard and a place that shaped me into the surfer I am now, just being able to compete there at the highest level is amazing and it’s a dream for me every year.”

The Trestles Pro, hosted at Lower Trestles just south of San Clemente and site of the LA28 surfing competition, will be held on the best days of waves between Sept. 11 and Sept. 20, with a call each morning.

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More info: worldsurfleague.com.