"The fear he has is hitting himself there and suffering an irreversible injury."
Two weeks ago, biz as usual for world champ Pip Toledo in Tahiti ladelling, as Smith described it, “shame onto World Surf league Championship trophy yet again with timid Teahupoo performance.”
There he bobbed, holding priority, while Braye paddled, dropped, became barreled and was spat into applause. There he took off on a small closeout just to hand that priority over and not be forced into actually trying.
There he lost 15.50 to 5.73
It was a shameful display and would be semi-forgiven if Toledo finally, and for the first time, admitted that Teahupo’o terrifies him.
Well, Smith’s wish almost came true yesterday with the re-appearance of Ricardo Toledo, daddy of the champ who gained many fans years ago with his no-holds barred blood feud with the big-wave surfer Alex Gray.
Now, on a Portuguese podcast Ricardo has admitted Pip’s fear of the iconic Tahitian wave is real.
“The truth is that he is afraid of hitting the coral bottom. That is the fear he has, of hitting himself there and really hurting himself and suffering an irreversible injury. It’s something that stays in his head… He’s already surfed big Waimea and Pipeline. He doesn’t have the know-how like John John has, like Medina has or as Italo acquired over the years. It is something that we know but at no time does it detract from the quality of the athlete that he is.”
Although it doesn’t explain his zero heat in 2015, Pip’s brave act of cowardice as it were, Ricardo says his son’s timidity this year was to save himself prior to Final’s Day.
“His focus is on the world tour final and another world title. Now is not the time to show that you throw yourself at Teahupoo. Look what happened with Ethan Ewing… You have to know the moment to expose yourself and the time in which can expose yourself.”
A start yes? Acceptance etc.
Ricardo also said he’d be setting up a large tent at Lowers adjacent to the judging platform “to put pressure on” the five men charged with scoring the Final, and has told Filipe if he wins the second title he’ll do an Ironman event, forty-two k run, 180 k’s on a bike and a four-k swim to celebrate.
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Quite frankly, unless you’ve surfed hollow waves over shallow coral, you’ve got no business being critical of Filipe Toledo.
“You can’t script this!”
I hate anything larger than 4 foot here only because it’s all beachies with horrible rips.
Gimme a decent reef break with a channel to ease in and out of and I’ll (used to) work my way into some grunty ones.
https://uploads.disquscdn.c…
WSL should give Ben Gravy a Trestles wildcard or whatever is par for that break. How about Kama?
https://www.youtube.com/wat…
What frilly excuse will he use when he decides the Olympics is “not the time to show that you throw yourself at Teahupoo”?
What Felipe’s camp seems to not understand is that John and Gabe were not born with that knowledge. They had a desire to obtain it so they put in the time. He could fly his pansy ass over there and post up for the better part of a season and learn how to surf that wave.
His dad is an asshole.
so, the obvious thing to do would be to give away the spot… why would you willingly embarrass yourself and the country like that?
it’s true, my son is scared of medium to big waves
NonJohn has hit bottom, many times bigly, but always comes back for more.
Well the spot did kill a local back in 2000. On a duck dive no less.
Another reason to have the final at Chopes. The Woke Surf League has embarrassed the world of surfing.
Good thought… not to plug a competitor, but there was a pretty good debate about this very idea (end tour at Chopes) over on swellnet last week. Shearer suggested it, and the commenters debated. I still prefer closing at Pipe (among other things, Pipe is a right and a left), but Chopes is much better than Trestles.
The only way Ricardo is getting to the end of an Ironman event is if there is a BBQ joint at the end of it and the wind is in his face.
Ricardo far out does Fil in the douchebag category.
Mufasa and Simba
Sex pest level 4000
Back in the day a good line of Bolivian marching powder before a heat put those fears at bay
Actually let’s get a interview with Kong Occy on TC , Jerry or Hakman on how much coke does it take to throw your self over the ledge at “10ft Hawaiian” pipe.
Guess we can rule out the Hawaiian Ironman
Haha what a cunt comment xox
A good strategy
Like bypassing Hotty and
Taking home Fatty
Kinda like when the media and fans are all over the rumor that an athlete is gay.
The athlete comes out, and nobody cares anymore.
I’m sure 95% of us here would shit themselves.
True re the 95 of us – but 95% of us are not masquerading as the best surfer on earth either. Also, not whether you shit yourself, but rather whether despite that you still push yourself over the ledge.