Will Filipe Toledo fly?
Event number seven on the World Surf League’s fabled Championship Tour swings the waiting period gates wide, for the Outerknown Tahiti Pro, this Saturday with surf fans all in a tizzy after the month-long layoff.
The last time we saw our heroes and heroines was way back in June, if you can recall, wherein Yago Dora and Sawyer Lindblad hoisted the hardware over a throng of passionate Brazilian surf fans on the sands watching the Rio Pro. Heading into the South Pacific leg, with Leonardo Fioravanti atop the men’s leaderboard and Gabriela Bryan atop the women’s.
While Fioravanti will face off against either Ramzi Boukhiam or Oscar Berry in round 2 heat 9, surf fans might already be gassed, having spent all their attention spans four heats earlier.
Yes, for round 2 heat 5 presents Japan’s Connor O’Leary against Brazil’s two-time Lower Trestles Finals Day champion Filipe Toledo.
Typically, this would just another bout betwixt two talented surfers in the midst of rough seasons. O’Leary currently 19th in the world, Toledo 15th. But August 8th and 9th, there at the End of the Road, won’t just be another day.
The official World Surf League forecasting website, Surfline, predicting inhumane waves that will claw the clouds (15 – 18ft) and stay massive through the first week.
O’Leary, brave and bold, will be a known quantity. Toledo, though, is a wild card.
The 31-year-old has notably chickened out at Chopes many times, posting 0.0 heat scores, refusing to paddle on set waves, getting lapped by geriatrics. He has reacted to the judgement of a world champ who won’t paddle by denying he’s scared, lashing out at those who dare challenge his moxie, being sullen.
Now, many surf fans, I feel, tune in to watch Toledo fail to materialize once again but we’ve all seen that show too many times. But wouldn’t it thrill beyond if Ubatuba’s pride and joy turned on a beast and sent it, shoving his bravado in all the armchair critics fat mouths?
Oh, there is nothing I would love more than to gag on crow.
Yum.