A rare win-win scenario?
Yesterday, surf fans near and far were stunned when two-time, and sitting, World Surf League champion Filipe Toledo announced that he would be taking the rest of the season off after a poor showing at the just-wrapped Lexus Pipe Pro. Taking to Instagram, the completely dominant small wave surfer declared, “It is with a heavy heart that I announce today that I am withdrawing for the remainder of the 2024 Championship Tour season. This decision has been so hard for me to make, and it comes after days of discussion with those closest to me. The WSL has been very supportive, and I am very grateful that they have granted me the wildcard for the start of the 2025 season. I am committed to coming back better than ever.”
The 2024 season, which Toledo was all but certain to win with the ender at Lower Trestles, now up in the air but also, and much more importantly, the upcoming Paris Olympics. The surfing portion of the Games will be conducted, as you know, at Teahupo’o across the world in French Polynesia and certain to delight. Toledo has already earned his spot to compete for the proud nation of Brazil alongside Joao Chianca.
His bonafides in heavier surf over shallower reef have been somewhat questioned over the years after historic 0.00 heat totals at the aforementioned Place of Broken Skulls as well as Pipeline. Certain internet technicians are even wondering if the fear factor might have played a role in the upcoming mental health break.
Thus far, the Toledo camp has remained mum on whether their man will wave the flag of order and progress or decline his place, which would allow Gabriel Medina to go for gold.
The upcoming decision will be certain to stun surf fans, far and near, once again.
Toledo could keep his place and spend the year training for Teahupo’o, swinging in and winning gold thereby cementing his status as one of the greatest sporting stories ever told.
Nobody doesn’t love a daring comeback tale.
The Miracle over Malaise.
Toledo could, also, selflessly give his perch over to Medina, a stronger competitor at Teahupo’o, putting country above self thus paving a way to a future in politics after his surf career ends.
Equally inspiring.
Do you have an opinion as to which would be better?
Win-win, as far as I’m concerned.
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There is a third “win” scenario although it’d only be a win for Beachgrit- Pip gets another zero point total at the Olympics.
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Chas didn’t ruin Pip as some would argue. This whole mental health break is 100% about the Olympics and having the whole country of Brazil shame him when he’s afraid to paddle into Chopes.
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Maybe get CJ and Felipe hugging it out.. “* gang”
He should move into Raimanas empty bedroom
In Lemoore?
airstream
But who’ll lead the WooSL to a better future ?
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Bobby Martinez!
Gerlach, or P. King!!
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christina applegate?
Driving 5 hrs back forward sydney yesterday missed this whole story – are the 400 odd comments worth reading?
My immediate take was girls charging pipe just mentally ruined him
He’ll open a burger joint in San Clemente with Khole and get chubby on chocolate shakes and french fries.
That sounds dope as f!
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Where’s Paul Speaker?
fred hemmings…
randy rarick
masterful internet technician
Quick q; Does anyone really think the little online snark on our favourite surf gossip site has anything to do with Phil’s mental health issues? Or with the firing of the Oklahoman?
Don’t get me wrong, the snark is great and all, it just seems a little silly to think anyone would care enough to base any real life decision on it.
he missed birth of his child for the wsl
and..
It may well have inspired him seeing his firstborn spat out of a deep pit.
Best case scenario is Pip teams up with Nate Florence for a 3 month high intensity slab tour then sets up camp at Teahupoo until the Olympics going out in all conditions. Then make the entire surf world eat crow getting spit out of monster barrels and crazy drops to win gold. The training montage video would outdo all WSL media for the year also.
Likely scenario is Medina gets his spot and we hear nothing from Pip for quite some time. Maybe a Redbull airshow event or something in solid 2ft beachies.
It truly would the story of the decade. He’s set himself up so perfectly for it too.
Unlikely as it is, scenario 1 does sound fun. They could make a surfing version of Rocky about it. Filipe’n the Script? Toledyo So? Ok maybe not.
The Rocky-esque montages of Pip running underwater carrying Tahitian boulders would be epic…
come to think of it, why isn’t this movie in production already?
Scene 1: Pip peers over ledge at macking Pipe and pulls back in fear. Cut to commentators shaking their heads and his opponent being sprayed with champagne on the stage as Pip wanders off alone.
Scene 2: Pip drinking alone in a remote cabin looking pensively out over the tropical hills. In the distance, a lone figure approaches. It’s Nate, aged 20 years to look appropriately guru-ish, carrying a step up under each arm. Nate approaches. They lock eyes. After a few pregnant seconds, Pip nods, slowly at first then more confidently.
Scene 3: Pip runs underwater, does meditation and visualization, soundtrack of Jack Johnson doing AC/DC covers.
Scene 4: Pip paddles out at huge Chopes, ready to go, trained up and thirsty. Nate screams at him to go, Pip is on brink but pulls back. All the old fears rush back. Despite all his work, he still can’t do it. All seems lost, a total bust.
Scene 5: Nate corners Pip in the cabin. First pleads, then screams at him, ‘ you are not your demons, motherfucker !!’ Jack Johnson’s AC/DC covers are turned up.
Scene 6: Another huge swell. This time, Pip goes. All alone, with only Pip and Nate at a remote reef pass, Pip tames the demon.
Scene 7: Back to the same spot as Scene 1. Same kind of wave. Same will he / won’t he go. Then, this time, he digs deep and makes the drop, comes out with the spit, crowd goes crazy — Nate in the background, nodding and smiling as crowd goes nuts.
Imagine it Olympic gold to Academy Award. What a story that will never be told.
Audience goes wild.
chas groans…but is secretly stoked!
Even if this did happen, the WSL montages video would still be lame, like the rest of the crap they push
There’s a chance Joao won’t be back this year either, due to his Pipe injury.
Though between Gaby, Yago, Italo and the Pupo’s they have some reasonable options to get medals.
P.S.
Yesterday I suggested that Filo had been told by the Brazilian mafia (for want of a better term) that he wasn’t going to be in the Olympics, and was pooh-poohed as a conspiracy theorist by some who still don’t seem to understand that the world actually is run by bad guys with gold and guns.
Well I pooh-pooh their pooh-pooh.
P.P.S.
These particular Brazilian ‘businessmen’ aren’t bothered about betting on the outcome (like your usual American or Asian mafioso types) as some have suggested.
They just wanna spend a bit of their coke money to get medals for their collection…
Hmm… the conspiracy theory, although hard to accept, would certainly explain a few things.
Good ol fashioned sheep-shit fight !
Speaking of sheep, plenty of work over here in NZ for blokes with a strong whistle.
If the mafia had half a clue they would have bet on him losing in CT events. Thats a conspiracy I could get behind (sort of).
Mafia telling him not to surf in the Olympics is just stupid.
Sounds like a losing scenario for the mafia telling him not to surf. It’s rigged without them having to do anything but inflate his odds and hype him up so they take a bunch of money on his inevitable loss. Sound like bullshit they don’t throw easy money away.
Pooh.Pooh.Shit. ???
Xox
I wasn’t doubting..
lawyers, guns, & money. I see dead people. But I see the red laser beam first.
I wonder if those closest to him included a Hurley rep?
Or he could just wait till his sees the forecast and make a call. He goes ok at 3ft chopes…
Pip’s comeback would be the better story for sure. I would buy that biopic in an instant.
But I give it a snowball’s chance. He gonna back out and let Gabby take his place.
Who would play Pip and Chas?
Ratatouille and Elen DeGeneres
Ha! That is perfect.
If it was made today, Elijah Wood with a spraytan could play Felipe, and Ralph Fiennes could play Chas.
Is it safe to say Pip is the new entry on Chas’s body count?
Can we get JMD next?
No!
Got a thing for incompetency, or is it just too entertaining to watch the dumpster fire? I respect either position
Both
Chas?
Is the Brazilian surf team cursed? First Joao, now Phil
This guy Chinanca might do ok.
or is it chewbaca
Maybe Gabby went to the deepest part of the Amazon jungle during his time off and learned how to cast spells from a shaman
A long way to go to shed your father and missus
Non-trivial chance it’s gonna be Gabby and Yago. I wouldn’t exactly call that cursed
And if they win the world surfing games, italo would get in as well. Could conceivably sweep the medals.
While I am definitely an advocate for mental health and can identify as such, you just can’t make this shit up.
An even better alternative:
Pip finally conquers his fear and swings into some death pits in Tahiti at the Olympics. But he gets bounced out of medal contention in the quarter finals by Gabby when Joao is unable to compete due to his Pipe injury. Gabby wins gold and the world title while Pip is left wondering why he didn’t just hire a sports psychologist to help him handle his personal baggage a decade ago.