"I’m not here to prove anything to you!"
Filipe Toledo, two-time, and defending, World Surf League champion** is waking up this morning to an onslaught of unfavorable press. Yesterday, as you’ve surely ready by now, the future Olympian put on an extremely tepid performance at Pipeline, collecting a score of just 1.77 before being relegated to the elimination round where he eliminated himself.
“Food poisoning” cited as the cause.
Surf fans are well-acquainted with Toledo’s withering once waves reach that amorphous “size of consequence.” He famously scored a 0.00 heat total at very fine Teahupo’o, where the 2024 Olympics will be contested, and also sat out the back at the latest Teahupo’o running watching two AARPers lap him. His lack of spine has been thoroughly documented… here at BeachGrit… with Stab preferring to keep “the salacious headlines off social” so someday Pip “can be transparent and unguarded with us.”
The Inertia sharing Toledo’s same noodle spine.
Now, though, it appears the mainstream media is joining the scrum. Today’s Sydney Morning Herald ran the blaring headline “Reigning world champ Toledo in big-wave show,” twisting the dagger with:
Professional big-wave surfer Laura Enever and world No.5 Molly Picklum spoke about Toledo’s frustrations and tactics in commentary as his first heat of 2024 ticked down, while WSL’s veteran analyst Strider Wasilewski – renowned for his prowess at Teahupo’o during his younger years – identified Toledo pulling back on several waves from his vantage point in the water.
“He’s got to get those butterflies out of his stomach because at the moment you can see the hesitation,” Wasilewski said. “I want to see him step up and surf Pipeline the way that [he can]. He’s got the talent, he’s just got to get over that fear factor.”
Toledo took to Instagram excoriating Wasilewski and others, penning, “To the critics on duty, and the world champions who comment on social media, believe what you want, I’m not here to prove anything to you! My health is my priority! To those cheering me on, thank you very much! We are together haha we will be back better and stronger!”
Another extraordinary act of brave cowardice, boldly lighting into those who watch his trembling in real time. Audaciously waving his two Lower Trestles championships in the face of all.
It is what makes the boy a fascinating study. The combination of pounding a lion-tattooed heart, owing nobody nothing, having proven everything, while being a full blown and very public sissy to the point glowingly positive Strider Wasilewski can’t take no more.
And do you think this delicious admixture is swelling the ranks of “those cheering him on?”
It all plays very nicely into him showing up at Teahupo’o for The Games, world’s eyes upon, and crushing all.
Don’t you think?
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The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat Teddy Roosevelt would go
For healthconcerns, wsl offers helmets…
Who gives a shit what surfers think. He’s done well enough and doesn’t want to get hurt. Nothing wrong with putting family first.
“i have nothing to prove” …except you do. If you are going to wear the world title crown then prove you are at least competitive in one very significant category of surfing — waves of consequence. No one is asking this guy to join a florence brothers’ trip, just asking him to show the fuck up when the jersey is on.
You’re a leftie woke joke,…. Are you for real?… you seriously CANT have been brought up in surfing
It shows how the world championship is a farce. Bring some reality back to surfing with making it necessary to be successful in all types of waves. Ending the world champs at Trestles allows this to happen. He is a great surfer but needs to be encouraged to surf all conditions. Get back to having the finals at the home of surfing Hawaii. Its the least you can do!
If lions were like him their King of the jungle status would be wiped out.
Coming soon on Netflix: 1-hour relaxation film featuring Filipe Toledo floating at Pipeline.
I dont think you will see Kolohe back on the World Tour
When it’s Firing I tell my boss I have food poisoning and Go Surf!
when a dude name “Strider Wasaluski” takes the piss out of you, that’s pretty much rock bottom
tomorrow, Feb. 02 is Groundhog Day.
does that mean we will get another article about Felipe being a coward?
Any man who had his balls vanish would be feeling sick.
Upside for Phil is that he can become the 1st Men’s and Women’s World Champ.
Imagine Fil just playing the long game like in “dumb and dumber” – 20yr wheel chair prank
Pretends can’t surf slabs then wins olympics!!
The long mind game
fucking hell just listened to Chas above – dumb and dumber for me!!
What sucks is chargers like young Makana Pang & Kalani Rivera sit on the beach chomping at the bit for every wave Toledo backed out of. Thank Akua for Da Hui Shootout that allows Makana & so many other chargers to show Pip how its done…
The footage of Makana Pang from pipe lately is unreal. Phenomenal surfer
The level of pussy this dude is beyond wet.. sloppy meat curtains OMG. The shame. The horror. He should give back every one of those title trophies and admit in public he’s the best small wave non charging surfer on the planet. For fucks sake.. The WSL is DONE and Pip has the shovel while digging the grave hole for them. LOL>
The tour should have so many heats in waves of consequence that this kind of self disqualification makes it mathematically impossible to be world champ. This is the end game of bad waves in contests.
Colapinto replaced Brother with his little brother…
Chas are you pronouncing Teahupo’o choke poo? Asking for a friend…
He was busy getting eliminated from the Pismo Beach Open, round of 32.