Meanwhile, once-great surf country, Australia, barely scrapes in front of Germany and Canada…
Miyazaki, Japan: Brazilian wizard Italo Ferreira has weaved his way through the Byzantine web that is the ISA World Surfing Games, with its hundreds of hours of heats and losers rounds, and emerged as gold medallist, beating Kolohe Andino, Gabriel Medina and Japan’s Shun Murakami in today’s final.
Italo, of course, made headlines four days ago, when he arrived for his opening heat with no board, wetsuit or surf trunks and with nine minutes remaining. He won. Of course.
And, today, in reasonable sorta rampy junk that gave multi-faceted surfers such as Italo, Gabriel, Brother and co untold advantage, Italo hucked his way to a narrow win over Brother.
Italo’s backside air, below, scored ten points. A frontside air of Kolohe’s, a 9.43.
Here, the ten.
And, here, Brother’s 9.43.
If you want to go by nation, Brazil is officially number one, USA, number two, followed by Japan, New Zealand, Peru, South Africa, Portugal and the once-great surfing nation, Australia, who did finish slightly ahead of Germany and Canada.
The event, despite its convoluted nature, proved to be surprisingly pleasing with an earlier heat, a portent of the final as it turned out, featuring Kolohe Andino, Gabriel Medina, Italo Ferreira and Kelly Slater.
A heat don’t get much more stacked than that.
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Maybe it’s like gold panning….all the good shit sinks to the bottom
Legend has it those jorts have been synthesised and have replaced black rhino horn as the main ingredient in Chinese Viagra
Didn’t think that was a 10
Surfing is an individual leisure pursuit so why even bring the concept of nation states into it. Why even have surfie competitions where people wave magic ‘sky-cloths’ that represent some arbitrarily defined area of land that your mum happened to be when you were born?
The italo clip was impressive.
so Surfing Australia get’s a $6m grant form the Goverment , Starky sees merit in flying an entourage/team of 30 + Australians to the K-Tub at great expense to Aust tax payers , lotsa photos of ex-champs frothing around the “I’m so “, High performance Surfing center claiming how great the new facilities are , how great the coaches / bureaucrats are…….yes the Hypeperformance Centre and SA are delivering…gravy to the gravy train…….
or is this some master stroke strategy where we don’t want show the world the depth of our talent , as we will get gold…or….are we seeing the end of Australia’s competition surfing credentials being replaced by a commercial business of training every and any surfer for $’s and the results no longer matter..??
How long before the Government realize they are being scammed?
Aussie government could invest a pile more of that wasteful grant money into more practical stuff, like some more 10,000 QS comps in Oz to re-create a worthwhile State-to State surf circuit again. This needs to happen if Australia is serious about developing better comp surfers, guys and gals who are hungry and keen to earn a living by following a decent domestic circuit, so they can gain more experience and pay their way up the rankings, instead of wasting time and money in the inland world of feel good theory from teachers and preachers who foam cushion falls and false reality.
well brasil is the surf capital of the competion world, having, by far the most best competitors on tour. not even debatable.
+jeezzzzz, does ka EVER get tired of not winning??? maybe try a secret nu coach thing kinda like the board swap thing? +sad showing for the hapless oozzies. they needed wade, who is there future. +present. at least till jack robo gets on tour.
Fuck mate Robbo? Nah we need a real fkn underdog to get behind and Jacky boi s bout as spoilt as they come
Here’s something that connects the bronzed aussies, the caliboys, and the golden boys of Rio de Janeiro … A lot of them well-born, proud treasures of daddy and mommy … they have dreams of being sportsmen, champs, but… quickly, painlessly, in a sterile path …
They always have a plan B, which in the first difficulties turns into plan A for a successful life… being a professional soulsurfer, is one of them … even if they have no salaries and are only paid with clothes, like many in Brazil … but the sponsors plastic brands on their boards gives it a status… uhuu! wowww!
Another thing that binds them is that they think they have a captive and compulsory place in events and circuits/ tours because of their personal tradition and those who came before them … and that their slow evolution, and when they wish it, must be a priority over everything and everyone …
I already said here …
I myself witnessed, here in Rio de Janeiro in the 80’s, the racism of the well-born and golden boys against northeastern surfers, who took by assault the surf scene in Rio, São Paulo and Santa Catarina, to have the sport as a way of life …
“Damn these “paraíbas” … they take away the events inscriptions in the early hours of the day, and infest the waves, as if fighting for a plate of food…”
This phrase from a friend, in our 22 / 23 years old, a good family, good surfer, and of course, failed in his dream to be a pro surfer, but now in a well life with his plan A …
Now he cheers for Italo, Jadson, Adriano…
Well… never it’s too late, I think…
Oxente! Nordestinos pra cima
Who is going to represent Yemen in the Olympics? I hear they have really upped their air game.
Does any other sport have a copper medal? Weird. Is it like school sports these days where everyone gets a medal for participation…..add that to the 300 repechage heats and it seems like its made for VALs.
Surely that air from Kolohe would have got a 5 max in a CT event
Sorry what’s VAL?
Vulnerable Adult Learner.
italo’s would have been called “incomplete”
yes. very stock stuff. for him.
Groms in Australia = trust fund kids. they aren’t gunna grovel for a $500 cheque at a pro junior. mummy and daddy are going just going to pay for their trip to Cloudbreak instead.
Why is Australia so utterly pathetic?
I doubt any other nation has more x pro’s turned coach’s / VAL enablers in the world than Australia. Not to mention a self appointed surf media “expert” at every beach ( hi, longtom).
Australia all talk
The once vaunted Centrelink sponno is far less appealing since they decided to drug test their team riders…
what’s the theory behind it? is it that Centrelink team riders can’t afford drugs that vacate the system fast enough or are they staffing up and doing random tests at the beach on weekdays?
You have nailed it, all the state surfing bodies are so focused on VAL improvement programs there is zero support for emerging groms.
What’s VAL?
If you don’t know, you ain’t been here long enough kook, best you be paddling in
We are known as the lucky country bro, you can get unemployment benefits that will keep you afloat. No need to be ambitious.
$280 a week ain’t floating anyone in Scomo’s Australia.
If only we gave a fuk.
What’s a VAL?
Oz isnt shit, they werent that far behind NZ
If your shits are floating there is something wrong with your digestive system and you should see your physician soon
not much fiber in it…
Great to see New Zealand taking a lead over the other Commonwealth Nations….
Interesting to see the Australians lagging behind SAfrica
And similarly intriguing to see the British trail the Canadians
Will the upcoming Rugby World Cup in Japan have similar results ?
It’s such a fine member of the Commonwealth we shot our annual wetsuit film there. Out next week etc.
Do ya need a hunting license for an annual wetsuit shoot ?
I hope they stay in the commonwealth.
That leader they got seems a bit Mugabeish.
Yes she certainly has that look about her
she has had a bad week. Might be the start if her unravelling
Curse of the hijab
ohhh this will be interesting. The land of the long white cloud is one place where a good wettie is required
And NZ nr 4 – just saying…
ka pai
Pretty sure we got 7th. So Ozzie Ozzie Ozzie oi oi oi
I checked the team results just before typing that, yet now it says 7th. Misterioso!
Remember when people used to dress in stupidly named Australian surfwear?
Oh I don’t. Is this a job for surfads?
Blocked the memory of those pastel Hot Buttered hoodies when Australian Surfers were Gods walking the Earth?
Ever so long ago. Now we sit in our cubicles waiting for the inevitable subjugation by our new Chinese masters.
Do u know something we don’t Bout China?
They do enjoy laundering meth money at our Casinos and shooting the local wombats.
Cover ya mullet with hot tuna
What, like Hot Tuna?
Now we just wear a dress.
ugg.
ozzi. : they may not be the top, or very close, competitive surfers right now, but man, they win the website posting funny comments without using real names thing!!!! this has gotta count for something.
Mostly New Zealanders…
The cream always rises.