Perhaps more than anybody in the draw of the 2024 Fiji Pro, Gabriel Medina rolled into the South Pacific with something to prove. After arguably the best performance on the biggest day of the Olympics at Teahupo’o (let’s be honest, that 9.9 should have been a 10), and eventually settling for a bronze medal, Medina comes into Fiji sitting eighth on the WSL Leaderboard and needing a massive result if he’s to qualify for next month’s WSL Finals at Lower Trestles and contend for a possible fourth world title.
Boasting the highest heat total of the day (9.17 + 8.50 = 16.67), Medina emerged on opening day of competition as the guy to beat. And when he gets in that mode – when the chips are down and he needs a big result – he’s nearly unstoppable.
Related: Perfect Heat? Nope. Gabriel Medina Almost Scores Two 10s at Teahupo’o (Video)
“That was a fun heat. It felt good to get in the rhythm,” he said after his Opening Round win. “The waves were just coming my way. It feels good to just surf. I didn’t have many waves in Tahiti. [Laughs.] So, now I have them. I’m riding a 6’1” and it feels really good. This is the biggest day, so I should go shorter tomorrow. I was watching [my competitors], and the second wave of the set was looking better. So, they were getting the first ones, and I was going for the second. It felt good. It was perfect waves.”
Photo: WSL/Aaron Hughes
Ahead of Gabby to make the Final Five on the live rankings? Jordy Smith and Yago Dora. Of course, he’d also have to knock out one of the other five already in the world-title-crowning, winner-take-all event at Lower Trestles in early-to-mid September.
That means, Ethan Ewing, Italo Ferreira, and Griffin Colapinto. John John Florence has already locked in his spot for the big showdown.
But there’s a lot of factors at play here – it depends on how all the other competitors fair in Fiji, and how high Medina can take his momentum to the podium.
Related: Here Comes Gabe Medina, And The 3x World Champ Means Business
He’s done it before, though. Like in 2016, when he won the Fiji Pro, even taking out one of the best ever at Cloudbreak, Kelly Slater. (The 11x world champion lost today, marking potentially his final heat in the elite level jersey.) Medina went on to win the event, proving how deadly he is in heavy, lefthand, reefbreak tubes. Can he do it again?
Ominously, but very apt, days before the Fiji Pro, Medina posted this to social media:
“I like peace, but I work better in war.”
Stay tuned.
Related: Gabriel Medina Surfed the Best Wave in Olympic History (So Far)
***
Don’t miss another headline from SURFER! Subscribe to our newsletter, follow us on Instagram, and stay connected with the latest happenings in the world of surfing. We’re always on the lookout for amusing, interesting and engaging surf-related videos to feature on our channels.
Whether you’re a professional surfer or just an amateur, we want to see your best footage and help you share it with the world. Submit your video for a chance to be featured on SURFER and our social channels. Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch high-quality surf videos.