Gutted.
This is the final year that surf fans will get to enjoy the World Surf League’s dramatic “Final Five” format. Rolled out a baby handful of years ago, the change sought to mimic the thrilling Pipeline final in 2019 betwixt numbers one and two Gabriel Medina and Italo Ferreira. Winner take all. The League, then fronted by former CEO Erik Logan, decided that California’s Lower Trestles would be the best approximation of Da Banzai and hosted three consecutive Final Fives on those cobbled stone.
Small swell wizard Filipe Toledo winning two of them before stepping away for a mental health year.
Now, grumpy surf aficionados oft insist that Toledo’s two cups should come with silver asterisks attached, seeing that the diminutive Brazilian once refused to paddle any consequential wave, most notably at Teahupo’o and Pipeline. What they conveniently forget is when surfing’s ground was forever shifted at the 2024 Paris Olympics wherein Toledo wrangled a 9.67 tube halfway across the world, at the Place of Broken Skulls, and was crowned “King of Teahupo’o.
While his glorious reign lasted less than 16 hours, it showed the li’l lion’s potential and, thus, surf devotees were very excited when it was announced that this final Final Five will be conducted at Cloudbreak, a monstrous and scary left. A chance for House Toledo to establish itself once more.
Alas, moments ago the forever young 30-year-old suffered stunning defeat at the Rio Pro, falling to countryman Miguel Pupo in the dying seconds of the round of 16. Pupo snagging a right under priority and bashing slashing on his backhand, only taking time out to celebrate mid-wave. He was rewarded with the necessary number, vanquishing Toledo and sending him sliding down the rankings. He is currently 8th, three spots out of a Cloudbreak invitation, but likely to slip more depending on how the rest of the contest plays out. Only two events remain in the season, J-Bay and Teahupo’o, and might surfing’s best-ever story be in the works?
Filipe Toledo wrangling a Tahitian Titan to punch his ticket to Fiji for the last frame?
Stay tuned!
Your comments are still here. Every one of them.
Twelve years of BeachGrit comments came across from Disqus. Connect and we will show you how many are yours. We get your username, nothing else.
Connect Disqus to reveal.
Chaz wrote an article without mentioning Kelly Slater? What will happen next?
If this comes to fruition then we will nevvvvver hear the end of it and you will officially labelled the biggest cunt on Earth. I am genuinely concerned as it is completely plausible.
Xox
Perfect 10 bunda at 4:16!
All part of the game. Never been any different.
F1 has 500X as many fans and some races are like watching paint dry.
Max makes for good viewing. In and out of the car.
My favourite time to watch is while reversing out of the driveway.
Ricardo said he was underscored…
The Brazil leg is a soap opera overloaded with poor waves, drama queens and crying princesses. Can’t wait till Jeffries, Chopes and Fiji… for real surfing!
The best thing about Rio comp is IT’S ON at 2am HST, and I am sound asleep, not tempted even in my dreams to watch.
although I do wish Fil would have won, just to get deeper under Chas’ foreskin.
https://uploads.disquscdn.c…
Griff’, Croz ‘n’ Cole there. Gosh, these 3 guys just really being positioned as the face of the WSL at the moment and they’re Loving every minute of it!
Griff just enjoys getting involved in the local community, often at a high school level. Helping out.
Croz, gosh, he just Loves to manifest.
And Cole, wow! When he’s not working on his leopard print dye job, Cole’s really into social media. He really enjoys takin’ selfies with his idols. Sometimes he’ll post and then delete the image, just havin’ fun.
He’s a big supporter of women, gosh, he Loves to step in and get involved when a female competitor needs a chair up the beach, or needs someone to lift her trophy for her.
Oftentimes, if one of these guys is having a bit of trouble in a heat, the judges’ll say, ‘you know what, have an extra point or two’, just to help out.
Just 3 good humans, really just leading the way for the rest of the tour to follow and be inspired by.
Best one yet.
I’m more happy about Miggy Poops getting the win. Filipe losing was a bonus.
Miggy is a super solid human. Super stoked for him. (hope I am not spreading too much positivity on here).
Feel like everyone is hoping/expecting him to fail, hope he proves everyone wrong!
He already failed when he proved his inability to surf waves of consequence as well as your little Kelly.
lol, you ok dude?
Doing great coach!
https://uploads.disquscdn.c… Well this just got embarrassing. Seems it is Dad.
Was pretty obvious regardless of what Barney thinks. 🤣 I do wish it was the Coach instead of the tooth guy though. More fun that way.
He’s definitely not. Saying some bizarre things recently, whereas not so long ago he seemed like a regular chap
Hope it’s 10ft and he pusses out again, so we can keep talking shit.
lol well there would be entertainment there as well
filipe will win j-bay (enough points for final 5), skip teahupoo (stomach ache), and then win fiji at 2 foot restaurants
No no, you are ruining everything!
Xox
I hope you’re half righ, but
let us not be so hasty in our critique here.
Daddy proclaimed exactly why he lost, worthy of a Truth social.
So hopefully, he’ll get through to Fiji, wozzle will be presented by Huey, and this life long question will be answered.
We can all line up to permanently attach that silver asterisk to the lion’s chest.
Highest payer gets to go first with the tatt gun.