Rarely professional Brazilian surfers will have done so much honor to their nickname, “Brazilian Storm”, the “Brazilian storm”. Since the athlete auriverde Gabriel Medina gave Brazil its first world title, in 2014, at the age of 20, the South American country has continued to impose itself in the professional circuit of the World Surf League (WSL), long dominated by the United States and Australia, until becoming a key player. The success of its athletes is such as the Apple TV+ miniseries, Make or Break: at the top of the waves, devotes an entire episode to them.
This year, the Brazilian Filipe Toledo, first of the world classification, is given favorite to win the championship. His compatriot Ítalo Ferreira, gold medalist at the Tokyo Olympics, is in third place.
Last year, the final podium was entirely Brazilian: crowned world champion for the third time in his career, Gabriel Medina finished ahead of Filipe Toledo and Ítalo Ferreira, second and third respectively. In 2015, 2018 and 2019 too, a Brazilian surfer climbed to the first step.
A long time outsiders
The New York Times devotes an article to the rise, over nearly forty years, of Brazilian surfing, today driven by a generation of young athletes who have become “dominant” et “undeniable”.
“For decades, Brazilians have been