Wildcards at Pipeline have historically been extremely dangerous and the trend will continue at the upcoming Billabong Pro Pipeline as Moana Wong, Barron Mamiya and Miguel Tudela have all been granted WSL Wildcards into the first event of the 2022 Championship Tour season.
Wong finds herself in a unique situation as the first-ever, full-length women's CT event comes to Pipe. Not only will she be the first women's wildcard, but given her talent and comfort level at the Banzai reef, she could go very deep in the event and play a roll in scrambling the 2022 CT ratings straight out of the gates.
Back in December, Wong took out the HIC Pipe Pro in a dominant performance. She has also tallied some big scores at Pipe in this season's incarnation of the digital Vans Triple Crown. Along with five-time World Champ Carissa Moore, Wong has been one of the standouts out there lately. This will be her first CT event.
Wong earned her maiden victory in solid conditions at her home break of Pipeline. Here are all the top moments.
Mamiya is also a dangerous Pipe specialist. Young, hungry and brimming with ability, he surfed his way to a runner-up finish at the HIC Pipe Pro and gave eventual winner John John Florence a serious run for his money in the process. He also finished second at the 2019 Volcom Pipe Pro where he was edged out by Jack Robinson. Mamiya came close to qualifying for the CT in 2019, finishing the Qualifying Series season ranked 14th. Like Wong, he could easily wreak havoc on the CT establishment.
And for Tudela, there's history to be made as him and Lucca Mesinas will both represent Peru at Pipe. Mesinas is first Peruvian male to qualify for the CT. Expect both surfers to feed off the energy that a moment like this inevitably brings.
The South American country has a proud tradition of producing surfers that can handle heavy surf, and Tudela is certainly cut from that cloth. Back in 2014 and 2015 he was competing in Big Wave events in Peru, Chile and Mexico. Most recently, he's made a push on the Challenger Series and Qualifying Series with mixed results. This will be Tudela's first CT event.
Barron Mamiya in the spot during the Quarterfinals of the 2019 Volcom Pipe Pro. - WSL / Tony Heff
The waiting period for the Billabong Pro Pipeline gets underway on January 29. Keep it locked right here at WorldSurfLeague.com for the latest news and info as we countdown the start of the 2022 Championship Tour.
Wong, Mamiya, Tudela Score Wildcards Into Billabong Pro Pipeline
Jake Howard
Wildcards at Pipeline have historically been extremely dangerous and the trend will continue at the upcoming Billabong Pro Pipeline as Moana Wong, Barron Mamiya and Miguel Tudela have all been granted WSL Wildcards into the first event of the 2022 Championship Tour season.
Wong finds herself in a unique situation as the first-ever, full-length women's CT event comes to Pipe. Not only will she be the first women's wildcard, but given her talent and comfort level at the Banzai reef, she could go very deep in the event and play a roll in scrambling the 2022 CT ratings straight out of the gates.
Back in December, Wong took out the HIC Pipe Pro in a dominant performance. She has also tallied some big scores at Pipe in this season's incarnation of the digital Vans Triple Crown. Along with five-time World Champ Carissa Moore, Wong has been one of the standouts out there lately. This will be her first CT event.
Mamiya is also a dangerous Pipe specialist. Young, hungry and brimming with ability, he surfed his way to a runner-up finish at the HIC Pipe Pro and gave eventual winner John John Florence a serious run for his money in the process. He also finished second at the 2019 Volcom Pipe Pro where he was edged out by Jack Robinson. Mamiya came close to qualifying for the CT in 2019, finishing the Qualifying Series season ranked 14th. Like Wong, he could easily wreak havoc on the CT establishment.
And for Tudela, there's history to be made as him and Lucca Mesinas will both represent Peru at Pipe. Mesinas is first Peruvian male to qualify for the CT. Expect both surfers to feed off the energy that a moment like this inevitably brings.
The South American country has a proud tradition of producing surfers that can handle heavy surf, and Tudela is certainly cut from that cloth. Back in 2014 and 2015 he was competing in Big Wave events in Peru, Chile and Mexico. Most recently, he's made a push on the Challenger Series and Qualifying Series with mixed results. This will be Tudela's first CT event.
The waiting period for the Billabong Pro Pipeline gets underway on January 29. Keep it locked right here at WorldSurfLeague.com for the latest news and info as we countdown the start of the 2022 Championship Tour.
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