Santa Barbara’s Lakey Peterson is one of three surfers in the mix for a women’s world championship and berths in the Olympic Games going into the final World Surf League event of the season.
Peterson, Carissa Moore and Caroline Marks will be competing for the title and two Olympic berths for the United States at the Lululemon Maui Pro.
Hawai’i’s Moore leads the rankings going into the event at Honolulu Bay with 58,600 points. Peterson is second with 55,125 and Marks of Melbourne, Fla., is third with 53,410 points.
The three Americans are the only contenders for the world title. The top two finishers in the final rankings will earn the berths for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Peterson, 25, said she’s trying not to overthink the magnitude of being within reach of a spot in the Olympics.
“For myself and Carissa and Caroline, it’s just an intense situation to be in with there only being two spots and three of us all so close,” she told the Associated Press. “It’s going to be a really exciting finish to the year.”
The 17-year-old Marks told the AP: “It’s super exciting to have the chance to be in the Olympics and go for the world title. It’s rad that we have this last event.”
Moore, Peterson and Marks have dominated this year’s tour, with each surfer winning two contests. Moore has earned seven podium finishes in nine contests, while Peterson and Marks each have six top-three finishes.
Moore, the defending Maui Pro champion, is pumped about having surfing in the Olympic Games.
“It’s huge,” she told the AP. “I never thought when I started out that surfing would be in the Olympics. It wasn’t even on the radar. It’s a huge step for surfing to be accepted on that level, that stage. It’s very exciting for surfing and exciting for us to share the sport with the world.”
Said Peterson: “It’s never been on a platform like the Olympics, which can be a beast of its own. It’s cool to get to be recognized in that manner. It’s pretty unique to even have a chance at it. I think it makes it really exciting.”
— Noozhawk Sports Editor Barry Punzal can be reached at bpunzal@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.