TEAM OAKLEY LEAVES ITS MARK ON AND OFF THE WAVES IN PENICHE AS GRIFFIN COLAPINTO LANDS PERFECT TEN EN ROUTE TO VICTORY AT MEO PRO PORTUGAL PRES. BY RIP CURL

Team Oakley’s Griffin Colapinto defeated Team Oakley’s Filipe Toledo to win the MEO Pro Portugal Presented by Rip Curl in Peniche on the World Surf League 2022 Championship Tour. The win marked the first Championship Tour victory for the 23-year-old Colapinto, who also scored the first perfect score of the season after landing a backside full rotation in the quarterfinals to defeat fellow Team Oakley athlete, Kolohe Andino. 

While many greats of the sport have admired him for years, Colapinto’s big public shot across the bow came in November 2016, when he landed a Hail Mary aerial-reverse in the high-stakes Hawaiian Pro at Haleiwa. He followed with a runner-up finish to Team Oakley’s Ethan Ewing at the World Junior Championships, then made the Final of the Volcom Pipe Pro to start his steady climb up the Qualifying Series ranks. In 2017, he became the first Californian to win the prestigious Vans Triple Crown of Surfing.

“This has been a weekend that I will never forget,” said Colapinto. “It’s surreal just to be competing with the best in the world, so to come out with a perfect ten and a victory all in one weekend is truly mind-blowing. Peniche gave us some great waves and having the support of Oakley has been a major boost in my surfing career. After a short but sweet celebration, I’m shifting my focus to recovery and preparation for the next event so that I can hopefully get back on the podium and replicate this incredible feeling.”

A number of other high-caliber surfers from Team Oakley competed alongside Colapinto, Toledo, Andino and Ewing at Peniche, including Ítalo Ferreira, Kanoa Igarashi, Jordy Smith and wildcard entrant Afonso Antunes. Team Oakley swept the first three places in the men’s event, with Ferreira finishing in third behind Toledo and the victorious Colapinto. Tatiana Weston-Webb of Brazil won the women’s event, topping Lakey Peterson in the finals. Igarashi’s performance at Peniche vaulted him into first place in the Championship Tour rankings so he will don the yellow jersey next month at the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach in Victoria, Australia.

“The performances by our athletes this weekend were unmatched,” said Tom Whitaker, Oakley Global Surf Manager. “They put on a show for fans the entire weekend, highlighted by Griffin, Felipe and Ítalo sweeping the podium for Team Oakley. We share our congratulations with all of these athletes and look forward to cheering them on throughout the 2022 tour as they add to Oakley’s storied legacy in the sport of surfing.”

Top surfers from around the world gathered on the beautiful coast of Praia do Supertubos, with all eyes on the waves from behind Oakley eyewear. Known for its powerful tube rides, this location offered surfers the opportunity to push the limits of what’s possible, displaying both mental and physical strength to conquer the waves.

Team Oakley athletes enjoyed the Portuguese sun through the ground-breaking style which revolutionized the eyewear industry upon its introduction in 2021, as well as styling some of the most iconic Oakley's lifestyle pairs such as Frogskins™, CMDN and HSTN. Oakley products are available for purchase online at WorldSurfLeague.com. 

Oakley will return for the fourth stop of the men’s and women’s Championship Tour next month for Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach. As the official eyewear sponsor of the World Surf League, the brand will continue to support Team Oakley riders on multiple stops throughout the Championship Tour as they carry its ‘Be Who You Are’ spirit. Oakley aims to inspire the next generation of surfers by supporting the competitive aspect of the sport while also paying respect to its history and impact on culture. 

More information on Oakley’s surf collection can be found on Oakley.com, and you can learn more about Oakley’s presence at the event here.