RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Pipeline stage, in Hawaii, which decides the World Surf League (WSL), is still in progress, but it is already known that the winner will again be Brazilian.
The dispute is now down to Italo Ferreira, 25, and Gabriel Medina, 25. The winner will amplify Brazil’s recent dominance in the sport.
It will be the fourth victory of the “Brazilian Storm”, the name given to the green-and-yellow wave in the sport. The “Brazilian Storm” will have grabbed four of the last six titles on the men’s circuit.
Medina, who is still fighting for his third title, was crowned in 2014 and 2018. In 2015, Adriano de Souza, the ‘Mineirinho’, the most experienced of the Brazilians in the elite, was crowned as the world champion at the age of 32.
Even when considering the past ten seasons, no one beats Brazil. There are two titles for the United States (Kelly Slater in 2010 and 2011), two for Australia (Joel Parkinson in 2012 and Mick Fanning in 2013) and two for Hawaii (John John Florence in 2016 and 2017).
Since 2018, Brazilians have been the majority on the circuit. In 2019, out of 34 fixed elite surfers, 11 were Brazilian. Australia ranks second with eight representatives. Hawaii and the United States have four surfers each and these would not get to the Brazilian number even if they all competed under the same flag.
The scenario will not be much different in 2020. The exact number still depends on the completion of the Pipeline stage, but five Brazilians managed to stay in the WSL, the first division, and five others climbed through the WQS, the second division. In other words, there is no indication that the “Brazilian Storm” will calm down.
The youth of the main Brazilians in the sport also will likely imply a lasting success. Italo and Medina, who stayed until the end in the dispute for the title, are 25 years old. Filipe Toledo, who also got to the Pipeline with great chances, is 24.
Next season, in addition to the fifth world title, Brazil will try to extend its dominance in the Olympics. The Tokyo Games will be the first to include surfing in the program, with the competition scheduled for Tsurigasaki beach, in Chida, about 60 kilometers from the capital.
The country’s representatives in the competition were defined by the 2019 season’s ranking. Thus, Italo and Medina will carry the Brazilian flag in Japan.