Surfer Carissa Moore
All about the youngest-ever ASP women's world champion
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In July, at 18, Moore became the youngest surfer to win the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Women’s World Tour title. Over the course of seven events, the Oahu native reached the final heat in all but one. She was so dominant that she’s been granted a wild-card entry in December’s Vans Triple Crown of Surfing series, a men’s competition.
The Hype: Almost since the day her father pushed her into her first wave, when she was four, Moore has been heralded as the sport’s next great champion. She was sponsored at age seven and at 11 won a national championship—a feat she repeated three times. By 15, she’d signed contracts with Nike and Red Bull worth a reported $500,000, a record sum in women’s surfing.
In Her Words: “There’s been a lot of talk surrounding me growing up,” says Moore. “I’ve tried to block it out and cruise along my own path. I was reminiscing with my dad the other day about how everything in my life—everything I’ve done—has been focused on winning a world title. And I was like, ‘Dad, what do I do now?’ ”