For the first time in history, the Vans Women's Triple Crown of Surfing culminated at Pipeline today, with reigning four-time ASP Women's World Champion Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), 22, Hawaiian powerhouse Coco Ho (HAW), 19, and 2011 ASP Women's World Tour qualifiers Tyler Wright (AUS), 16, and Alana Blanchard (HAW), 20, battling it out in classic Pipeline conditions.
When the dust settled, it was Gilmore who navigated the treacherous conditions to earn her third Vans Triple Crown title by winning the Vans Duel for the Jewel at Backdoor Pipeline. She won $2,000 and a Nixon watch.
"It's such a Hollywood kind of a dream," said Gilmore. "We had such a long wait in between the Sunset event and this heat so it's kind of like the nerves were building and building.
"My first wave I hit the bottom - almost all my waves except for the one I made I hit the bottom, but it was a cool little memento from Backdoor.
"Thanks to Vans we were able to have the Triple Crown this year and it's definitely up there with winning world titles. Each place is so different and challenging, you can show up here with all the confidence in the world and get smashed, so to win it again I feel really happy and proud of my achievements this year."
