It’s shaping up to be an interesting year on the World Surf League (WSL) World Championship Tour (WCT) and we’re not talking about the CT Shaper Rankings (although that’s quite compelling). While everyone expected a Brazilian to walk away with another Surf Ranch Pro, California kid Griffin Colapinto’s cream rose to the top. Colapinto stripped the yellow jersey from Joao Chianca and is now No.1 on the Men’s WCT. Griffin’s victory may have been surprising to some, but we listed him as one of the favorites. He is now in pole position as the tour heads to South America for the Surf City El Salvador Pro, an event that Colapinto won last year. Will he repeat and hold his spot atop the WCT elite with just over three months left to the Finals Day showdown in San Clemente? Let’s have a look at our 2023 Surf City El Salvador Pro odds and predictions.
Click the banner to signup and bet on the WSL
Betting Preview for the WSL WCT Surf City El Salvador Pro Men’s Surfing Competition Running from June 9 to 18 2023
Where: Punta Roca, La Libertad, El Salvador
When: Waiting period runs from June 9-18, 2023
Betting Lines: View WSL betting odds
Streaming Broadcast: WSL website / WSL YouTube
Sponsor: Presented by Corona
Online Commentary: BeachGrit
FAVORITES
Griffin Colapinto: 4/6 Odds
WCT Ranking: No.1
We generally don’t pick competitors to go back-to-back in year-over-year events. The literal odds are against it, as are the betting lines in Vegas. However, Colapinto (who won the event in 2022) has an air of sustainable confidence this season. He has been in three finals already this year, and with the recent Surf Ranch Pro win over the “Brazilian Storm” he’s carrying strong momentum into Punta Roca’s righthand point break. On a medium south swell this wave gets leg-achingly long which will work in his favor. Colapinto showed in Lemoore that he has the physicality to dominate the competition when it comes to stamina.
Gabriel Medina: 5/1 Odds
WCT Ranking: No.6
After Gabriel Medina won the 2023 Margaret River Pro everyone expected the 3-time World Champion to get a podium finish at the Surf Ranch Pro and march his way into the WCT Top 5. That didn’t happen, but he does sit in the sixth spot and is destined to crack the final barrier with only four events left before the September Finals at Lower Trestles. Medina came in 3rd at the Surf City El Salvador Pro in 2022, losing to the eventual winner (Griffin Colapinto).
Filipe Toledo: 8/1 Odds
WCT Ranking: No.3
Current world champion Filipe Toledo is hunting for his second win of the 2023 season, and the odds are in favor of this occurring at Surf City El Salvador Pro this June. He came in second to Griffin Colapinto at the 2022 event, and the long righthand point break suits his abilities extremely well. The only thing that works against Toledo as a top pick, is that this event is followed by the VIVO Rio Pro and the Corona J Bay Open. He is a strong favorite to win both, which may impact the urgency for a strong performance at El Salvador.
SLEEPER
Kanoa Igarashi: 10/1 Odds
WCT Ranking: No.17
2023 has been a rough season for the Japanese-American from Huntington Beach CA who was in the Top 5 last year. Perhaps seeing his rival Griffin Colapinto shoot to the top spot in the league will motivate him to a winning performance in Punta Roca. Igarashi came in fifth at the 2022 Surf City El Salvador Pro after losing in the Quarterfinals to Griffin. The Surf City USA native has revenge on the mind, but he’ll need to get out of his own way and improve upon the 11.55 average heat score that is burdening him at the moment. Kanoa is due for a return-to-form, and we have a strong suspicion that this may indeed occur by the end of June 18th.
Jordy Smith: 15/1 Odds
WCT Ranking: No.15
Punta Roca in La Libertad El Salvador is affectionately known as the the “Latin American J-Bay”. This distinction makes Jeffrey’s Bay’s top performers legitimate picks for the Surf City El Salvador Pro. Since we’ve already named Filipe Toledo a favorite, we can round the odds out by including everyone’s favorite SAFFA (who isn’t Rosie Hodge) as a reasonable sleeper. Smith may have won the event last year if he wasn’t in the way of Griffin Colapinto’s event winning campaign. Instead, he was relegated a 9th place finish. With 15/1 odds (6.2% chance of winning) there’s some money to be made by putting Jordy in your corner. Going into the event, the tall South African as an average heat score of 11.41.
LONG SHOT
Caio Ibelli: 20/1 Odds
WCT Ranking: No.14
After a strong start to the season and standout performances, Caio Ibelli is now on a downward spiral that is following a steady pattern. His 3rd place finish at the Billabong Pro Pipeline was followed by a 5th at the Hurley Pro Sunset Beach and a 9th at the MEO Rip Curl Portugal Pro. He has since been dealt a succession of 17th place finishes in the last three events. The only place for the resilient Brazilian to go, is up. The righthand Punta Roca point break may be exactly what the regular-footer needs to turn the tides. He came in 9th at this contest in 2022. Everything we’ve described makes Ibelli a solid sleeper pick among our Surf City El Salvador Pro Odds and Predictions for 2023.
2023 WSL SURF CITY EL SALVADOR PRO MEN’S WINNER PREDICTION
One of our contributor’s picked Gabriel Medina to win at Punta Roca in his post-midyear cut World Surf League predictions. However, this writer expects a bit of a shakeup in June. Who will win the 2023 Surf City El Salvador Pro? Watch Kanoa Igarashi make a comeback in the back half of the WCT season by winning the 2023 Surf City El Salvador Pro.
Click the banner to signup and bet on the WSL