Tokyo 2020: Italo Ferreira wins Brazil’s first gold medal as surfing debuts in Olympics

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Brazil’s first gold medalist at the Tokyo Games, Italo Ferreira, is overjoyed with success on the beach of Tsurigasaki, on the coast of Japan.

He beat Japan’s Kanoa Igarashi in the surfing final in the early hours of this Tuesday (27), climbing to the top spot on the podium and paying tribute to his grandmother, who passed away in 2019. “I wish she were here to see me win the Olympics,” he said.

The Olympic medalist admits he had a close relationship with his grandmother, Mariquinha. “She was a character. We used to joke around. When I was world champion, I took the trophy to her room and now I will take this medal there again. It’s a ritual. From up there, I know she is very proud,” he said.

Italo’s victory crowns a career that began in the small community of Baía Formosa in Rio Grande do Norte. Son of a fisherman and a mother who worked in the inn where the family lived, Italo began to show his talent at an early age, and it wasn’t long before he was discovered. It was Luiz “Pinga”, marketing director of one of the world’s leading surf brands, who first opened the doors to a professional surfing career.

And the boy didn’t waste the opportunity. In 2011, he won two stages of the Pro Junior. Then, in 2014, he became Brazilian champion and qualified for the WCT (World Championship Tour), the circuit’s elite. In 2015, his debut year on the Tour, he was the best rookie, finishing an incredible seventh at age 21.

In 2019, he strung together title after title and put on impressive performances. He made his mark on the waves of the Gold Coast in Australia and won the Red Bull Airborne Championship in Peniche, the Portuguese leg of the Tour.

He also reached the final of the Pipe Masters in 2019, where he met and defeated Gabriel Medina. He became the third Brazilian to win the title after Gabriel and Adriano de Souza.

Italo’s story from humble beginnings to surfing fame was the subject of the documentary “Curious tales of Italo Ferreira”, directed by Luiza de Moraes and produced by O2. The 30-minute film does not yet have a scheduled release date.