You’ll want to remember this name.
Caitlin Simmers, who prefers to be called “Caity,” is an 18-year-old surfing phenom currently ranked No. 1 in the world as the 2024 Tahiti Pro stop of the WSL Championship Tour gets underway.
Born in California, she was born into a family of surfers and grew up in the coastal town of Oceanside, surfing herself at an early age. Since winning her first surfing competition at the age of 10, she has literally made waves in the sport and has continued to do so in the years that have followed.
Simmers spoke with PEOPLE about the incredible ride she’s been on since qualifying for the WSL Championship Tour at age 15, between defeating her idols-turned-rivals and representing Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“It’s pretty crazy to think about,” Simmers tells PEOPLE ahead of the Tahiti Pro, as he reflects on his career so far. The craziest part? “I didn’t want to be a professional surfer,” she admits, explaining that she only realized “maybe I can be successful at this” when she won her first surfing competition [sport].”
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Caitlin Simmers of the United States looks ahead to her Hurley Pro races at Sunset Beach, Hawaii in February 2024.
Brent Bielmann/World Surf League via Getty Images
And she was successful, dominating the waves and racking up wins at prestigious surfing events that ultimately led to her first major win at the 2021 US Open of Surfing, making the then 15-year-old the second-youngest winner in the tournament’s history. professional event.
The win secured Simmers a spot on the WSL Championship Tour in her first attempt. However, she decided to pass up the opportunity to instead sharpen her skills and spend time with her family, before packing her bags to compete around the world at the age of 16.
“I definitely feel like it was the right decision. I’ve never regretted it,” she says, looking back. “Well yeah, that means he was good.”
Now Simmers’ confidence is at an all-time high as she currently sits atop the WSL Women’s Championship Tour rankings.
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Caitlin Simmers before surfing the quarter-finals at the Tahiti Pro in August 2023.
World Surf League/Beatriz Ryder
“The fact that I was second last year makes me even more fired up,” she tells PEOPLE of her mindset ahead of her second year at the Tahiti Pro. “But every event I want to go out there and win. I definitely want to do that for this one.”
Despite Simmers’ young age, her athleticism and competitive edge have seen her beat her idols — like five-time world champion and Olympic gold medalist Carissa Moore and eight-time world champion Stephanie Gilmore — since she jumped on the tour.
When it comes to her age and all she’s been able to accomplish this early in her professional career, the rising star tells PEOPLE she “never really thinks about it because surfing is what I love to do.”
Carissa Moore announces her ‘retirement’ from competitive surfing after the 2024 Paris Olympics.
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Caitlin Simmers before surfing in the quarter finals at the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach in Australia in March 2024.
World Surf League/Aaron Hughes
As for taking down some of the biggest names in the sport? “Something just happened… I like to compete and I like to beat people,” says Simmers. “I’m super happy. I just love doing it, so I’m going to keep doing the best I can.”
The Tahiti Pro is held at Teahupoʻo, a wave that Simmers describes as “really beautiful and perfect, but also really scary.” In fact, the world-class break will host the 2024 Olympic Games for surfing when the Games begin this summer.
“I’ve always watched the Olympics as a spectator and never dreamed I’d be there,” Simmers said of representing Team USA ahead of her debut. “That’s a pretty cool thought.”
To learn more about all the Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls, visit TeamUSA.com. Watch the Paris Olympics and Paralympics this summer on NBC and Peacock.
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Source: HIS Education