Arriving in the final of the 2026 Fiji Pro, after what history will remember as the moment she changed surfing, 19-year-old Erin Brooks is eyeing down her second straight Championship Tour win. More than the results, it’s how she’s gone about it all. Starting with her comeback in Tahiti, where the young Canadian’s frontside barrel riding abilities were head and shoulders above the rest, she came into Cloudbreak carrying a ton of momentum. Then came the 10-point ride, which has to be in contention for the best barrel ever ridden by a woman at Cloudbreak during the Fiji Pro.
And now, after beating five-time world champ Carissa Moore in the semifinals, in her second straight final, Brooks is one heat away from going on a back-to-back rampage through the South Pacific.
On the other side of the bracket, Isabella Nichols, with whom I had the good fortune to dine most days at the Fiji Marriott Resort Momi Bay, has also hammered her way to the final. One of the best performances of the year for the spirited Aussie, it may all be for naught. With about four minutes left in her semifinal heat against Brisa Hennessy, Nichols pulled into a barrel, got swallowed by the foam ball, and subsequently rolled her ankle. It’s heartbreaking given how well she’s been surfing and how hard she works.
We’re not speculating on Nichols’ current condition, nor do we have any news to report about her status in the event, but if she were to be unable to compete in the final, based on the WSL rulebook, it would appear that all Brooks has to do is paddle out, and the victory is hers.
Article 17.07 of the WSL Rulebook, which addresses non-attendance in events, reads: “When a Surfer does not show for any heat from round three onwards, the Surfer(s) must surf the heat alone in case the opponent turns up late.”
The rulebook’s language is pretty clear that, from Round 3 onward, there is no replacement mechanism. The remaining surfer must surf the heat alone. If a surfer is injured after qualifying for the Final and cannot compete, the WSL rules don’t provide for a replacement. The remaining finalist surfs the Final alone and is effectively the event winner. The injured surfer retains the placing/points associated with having reached the Final, assuming the injury is accepted by WSL.
According to the WSL’s live leaderboard, Brooks has moved up to 10th and will continue to climb pending this result. Nichols is also on the rise, now sitting at number 8. The two young women are good friends, and this has to be tough for both of them.
Our best wishes go out to Nichols. Hopefully, this is just a small hitch in her giddy up, and she’s able to miraculously surf the final. No doubt she has the grit and determination. Either way, she has a lot to be proud of after this event.
Related: 19-Year-Old Erin Brooks Scores Perfect 10 In Fiji: “Best Heat Of My Life”
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