Griffin Colapinto
{{Short description|American professional surfer}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2024}}{{Infobox surfer|name=Griffin Colapinto|image=|caption=|birth_name=|birth_date={{birth date and age|1998|7|29|mf=yes}}|birth_place=San Clemente, California, U.S.|death_date=|death_place=|residence=|height={{cvt|5|ft|11|in|m}}|weight={{cvt|171|lb|kg}}
|best_year=2023,2024 – Ranked No. 3 WSL CT World Tour
|sponsors=Quiksilver, Red Bull, Oakley, Inc., Creatures of Leisure
|major_achievements=* WSL Championship Tour event wins: 5
- 2017 World Qualifying Series Champion
- 1x US Open of Surfing champion (2021)
|stance=Regular (natural foot)
|shapers=
|favorite_maneuvers=
|website=
| show-medals = no
| medaltemplates =
{{MedalSport|Men's surfing}}
{{Medal|Country|{{USA}}}}
{{MedalCompetition| World Games}}
{{MedalGold| 2022 Huntington Beach|Team}}
}}
Griffin Colapinto ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|k|oʊ|l|ə|ˈ|p|ɪ|n|t|oʊ}} {{respell|KOH|lə|PIN|toh}}; born July 29, 1998){{cite web |url=https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/athlete/griffin-colapinto_1943201|title=COLAPINTO Griffin |date=2024 |website=Olympics.com |access-date=8 August 2024}} is an American professional surfer who has competed on the World Surf League Men's World Tour since 2018.{{Cite web |date=2023-09-04 |title=Griffin Colapinto Surfer Bio {{!}} Age, Height, Videos & Results |url=https://www.worldsurfleague.com/athletes/3165/griffin-colapinto |access-date=2023-09-12 |website=World Surf League |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Griffin Colapinto |url=https://www.redbull.com/us-en/athlete/griffin-colapinto |access-date=2023-09-12 |website=Red Bull |language=en}}
Colapinto has finished twice in the top three of the World Surf League Championship, in 2023 and 2024. He qualified for the 2024 Olympic Games where he was eliminated in the third round of the men's shortboard competition.{{Cite web |title=Athlete - Griffin Colapinto |url=https://www.olympics.com/en/paris-2024/athlete/griffin-colapinto_1943201 |website=Paris Olympics 2024}}
Surfing career
Colapinto has been surfing in competition since the 2011 men's junior season at 13 years old. In 2015, he won first place at the Junior Men's US Open of Surfing.
As a junior surfer, Colapinto went viral in 2016 with an air-reverse to win a Qualifying Series heat at the Hawaii Pro.
In 2017, he made the final of the WSL's World Junior Championship. He finished the year winning the Triple Crown in Hawaii and claimed the top spot in the Qualifying Series rankings. He thus qualified for the following year's Championship Tour.
At the 2018 Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast he completed a triple-barrel and scored a perfect 10, and obtained a third-place finish. He finished the 2018 season in 18th place, and later went on to finish the 2019 season in 16th place.
Colapinto finished in the Top 10 for the first time at the end of 2021, in 6th place.{{Cite web |date=2023-09-07 |title=Griffin Colapinto |url=https://www.teamusa.com/profiles/griffin-colapinto |access-date=2023-09-12 |website=www.teamusa.com |language=en}} He also won the 2021 US Open of Surfing in the WSL Challenger Series.
For the 2022 season, he won the MEO Pro Portugal and Surf City El Salvador Pro, and finished the season in 7th place.{{Cite web |last1=Binner |first1=Andrew |last2=Tulloch |first2=Ashlee |date=May 29, 2023 |title=USA surfer Griffin Colapinto: I don't want to be the boring guy |url=https://olympics.com/en/news/surfing-griffin-colapinto-interview-not-boring-guy |website=Olympics}}
In 2023, Colapinto qualified for the first time for the 2023 Rip Curl World Surf League Finals held at his hometown surf break at the Lower Trestles in San Clemente.{{Cite web |date=2022-11-11 |title=GRIFFIN COLAPINTO {{!}} Quiksilver |url=https://quiksilver.com/blog/surf/griffin-colapinto.html |access-date=2023-09-12 |website=quiksilver.com}} During the season, he won the Surf Ranch Pro, as well as finished as the runner-up at the Hurley Pro Sunset Beach, Margaret River Pro, and Surf City El Salvador Pro. He entered the final ranked 2nd in the world rankings and was highly touted locally, as a Californian male had not won a world title since Tom Curren in 1990.{{Cite web |last=Peene |first=Sam |date=September 8, 2023 |title=WSL Tour Finals: Griffin Colapinto's big break at home |url=https://olympics.com/en/news/wsl-tour-finals-griffin-colapinto-s-big-break-at-home |website=Olympics}}{{Cite web |title=San Clemente's Colapinto aiming for world title this weekend – CBS Los Angeles |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/video/san-clementes-colapinto-aiming-for-world-title-this-weekend/ |access-date=2023-09-12 |website=www.cbsnews.com |language=en-US}} The fanfare also included a personal motivational speech from actor Matthew McConaughey, which gained traction on social media.{{Cite news |title=Even Matthew McConaughey Wants Griffin Colapinto to Beat Filipe Toledo for the World Title (Video) |language=en |work=Surfer |url=https://www.surfer.com/trending-news/matthew-mcconaughey-griffin-colapinto-world-title |access-date=2023-09-12}}{{Cite web |last=Trnka |first=Holden |date=2023-09-09 |title=Watch: Matthew McConaughey's Transcendental Finals Day Pump-Up For Griffin Colapinto |url=https://stabmag.com/stabcinema/watch-matthew-mcconaugheys-transcendental-finals-day-pump-up-for-griffin-colapinto/ |access-date=2023-09-12 |website=Stab Mag |language=en-US}} He finished in 3rd place at the final, with the 2nd most overall season points.{{Cite web |date=2023-09-11 |title=Marks, Toledo Win 2023 World Titles |url=https://www.danapointtimes.com/marks-toledo-win-2023-world-titles/ |access-date=2023-09-12 |website=Dana Point Times |language=en-US}}
After qualifying for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games for his first Olympic Games appearance, he was later eliminated in the third round of the men's shortboard competition, finishing 9th place overall.{{Cite web |date=2024-08-02 |title=Griffin Colapinto |url=https://www.teamusa.com/profiles/griffin-colapinto |access-date=2025-01-20 |website=www.teamusa.com |language=en}}
For the 2024 season, he won the MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal and the Corona Fiji Pro, and was runner-up at the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach.{{Cite web |date=2024-03-16 |title=California's Colapinto Takes Over World No. 1 In Statement-Making Portugal Win |url=https://www.si.com/fannation/surfing/news/wsl-leaderboard-shakeup-colapinto-defay-win-portugal |access-date=2025-01-20 |website=Surfing On SI |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=2024-03-27 |title=Griffin Colapinto speaks after his World Surf League-topping Portugal win! |url=https://www.redbull.com/us-en/griffin-colapinto-exclusive-portugal-interview |access-date=2025-01-20 |website=Red Bull |language=en-us}}{{Cite web |date=2024-08-24 |title=Griffin Colapinto Wins Fiji Pro, WSL Finals Lineup Locked In |url=https://www.surfer.com/news/griffin-colapinto-wins-fiji-pro-final-five-for-wsl-finals |access-date=2025-01-20 |website=www.surfer.com |language=en}} This led him to finish the season 3rd overall in points and qualify for the 2024 World Surf League Finals. He finished in 3rd place at the final.{{Cite web |date=2024-09-12 |title=Griffin Colapinto Reflects on 3rd Place Championship Tour Finish, Vows Vengeance |url=https://www.surfer.com/news/griffin-colapinto-reflects-3rd-place-championship-tour-finish |access-date=2025-01-20 |website=www.surfer.com |language=en}}
Career Victories
| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;" | |||
| bgcolor=skyblue
| colspan=4; style="background: blue; color: white" align="center" | WCT Wins | |||
| bgcolor=#bdb76b
!Year!!Event!!Venue!!Country | |||
| style="text-align:center" |2024 | Corona Fiji Pro | Cloudbreak, Tavarua
| {{flag|Fiji}} | |
| style=text-align:center| 2024 | MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal | Supertubos, Peniche | {{POR}} |
| style=text-align:center| 2023 | Surf Ranch Pro | Lemoore, California | {{USA}} |
| style="text-align:center" |2022 | Surf City El Salvador Pro | Punta Roca, La Libertad | {{flag|El Salvador}} |
| style=text-align:center| 2022 | MEO Portugal Pro | Supertubos, Peniche | {{POR}} |
| colspan=4; style="background: blue; color: white" align="center" | WSL Challenger Series Wins | |||
| bgcolor=#bdb76b
!Year!!Event!!Venue!!Country | |||
| style="text-align:center" |2021 | {{USA}} | ||
| colspan=4; style="background: blue; color: white" align="center" | Juniors Wins | |||
| bgcolor=#bdb76b
!Year !width= 33.8% | Event !width= 33% | Venue !Country | |||
| style=text-align:center| 2016 | Los Cabos Open of Surf | Zippers, San Jose del Cabo
| {{Flag|Mexico}} | |
| style=text-align:center| 2016 | Pipe Pro Junior | Banzai Pipeline, Oahu
| {{Flag|Hawaii}} | |
| style=text-align:center| 2015 | Junior Men's Vans US Open of Surfing | |Huntington Beach, California | {{USA}} |
Other work
Griffin and his brother Crosby Colapinto post surfing highlights to their YouTube channel, Cola Bros.{{Cite web |title=Cola Bros – YouTube |url=https://www.youtube.com/@ColaBros |access-date=2023-09-12 |website=www.youtube.com}}
References
External links
- [https://www.worldsurfleague.com/athletes/3165/griffin-colapinto World Surf League profile]
{{WSL CT Roster}}
Category:Sportspeople from San Clemente, California
Category:World Surf League surfers
Category:Surfers at the 2024 Summer Olympics
Category:Olympic surfers for the United States