Brazil’s Italo Ferreira on Thursday upset compatriot Gabriel Medina to win his first world surfing title in powerful, but less-than-perfect waves at Hawaii’s famed Pipeline.
Ferreira used perfect timing and positioning to negotiate the biggest, most critical tubing waves, often punctuating them with technical aerial maneuvers to finish.
“This was my dream, you know. I dedicated all my life to this,” Ferreira said after being carried up the beach and doused in champagne.
Photo: AFP
He dedicated his win to his grandmother and an uncle, who both died in the past few weeks.
Five surfers went into the final event of the 11-stop World Championship Tour (WCT) in contention for the title, but it all came down to Medina and Ferreira.
With the WCT doubling as the qualifier for half of the men’s field at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, the Brazilian one-two sent a powerful message to their rivals ahead of surfing’s Olympic debut.
Ferreira got off to a strong start in the final, racking up two solid scores to pile the pressure on Medina, a two-time world champion and one of the best at the dangerous Pipeline.
Medina got back in the contest with a deep tube ride of his own before Ferreira extended his lead and held his nerve until the final hooter.
Kelly Slater, 47, showed that he is still a threat at his favorite spot, having won the first of his seven Pipeline Masters on Oahu’s North Shore in 1992.
Regarded as the greatest surfer of all time, Slater scored the only perfect 10-point ride of the event in an earlier round, threading an unfeasibly long tube at Backdoor, Pipeline’s less predictable and equally violent right-hand alter ego.
However, Slater was knocked out by Ferreira in the semi-finals and failed to overtake Hawaii’s John John Florence in the race for a spot on the US Olympic team.
If Slater is surfing’s undisputed king, Medina is the closest thing to its dark knight — intensely focused, hyper-competitive and without weakness.
He proved that again in his round-of-16 heat with a cynically brilliant move against compatriot Caio Ibelli.
With seconds left, Medina dropped in on Ibelli’s wave without priority, taking the penalty of scoring his second wave at zero, but preventing his rival from getting the modest score that he needed.
Medina then stormed through the quarter-finals and semi-finals, and looked destined for a third world title before Ferreira toppled him in a gripping finale.
OFFENSE SHINES: First baseman Pan Chie-kai hit a solo homer in the fifth inning as all 10 batters Taiwan used contributed at least one hit toward their team total of 14 One day after their first shutout loss at the WBSC Premier12, Taiwan yesterday bounced back with a commanding 8-2 victory over the US, keeping their hopes for a spot in tomorrow’s final alive. The win in the Super Round marked Taiwan’s first triumph over the US at a top-tier international baseball tournament since 2003. Their previous win over the US was at the 2003 Baseball World Cup, with only one win in the previous 10 matchups since 1999. Yesterday’s game was tightly contested through the first six innings, with the margin never exceeding two runs. However, the tide turned in the top of
“Please love us. Please cheer us on. We have been working hard. Do not give up on us.” Taiwan captain Chen Chieh-hsien’s heartfelt plea echoed across the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s (WBSC) Premier12 tournament after a historic victory. Rather than boasting, Chen was making an earnest appeal after leading Taiwan to a 4-0 victory over Japan to claim their first major international baseball title at the senior level. Chen’s decisive three-run homer in the fifth inning and his Premier12 leading .632 batting average secured him the Premier12’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) title. He was also named one of the tournament’s outstanding defensive players
WELL-AGED: Although the youngest team in the tournament, Taiwan featured several veteran stars, including Sunday’s home-run hero Chen Chieh-hsien “I will never forget today,” veteran Taiwanese pitcher Chen Kuan-yu said after Taiwan on Sunday night blanked Japan to secure their first ever gold in the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s (WBSC) Premier12 championship. Chen, who at 34 is the oldest member on the team, said Taiwan “made every difficult step to come to today’s victory. I will never forget today.” Taiwan made history when they won their first gold medal of the Premier12 tournament, beating Japan in a 4-0 shutout victory in the final at the Tokyo Dome. It was a jaw-dropping victory for many baseball commentators who went into the game with
Nikola Jokic on Saturday scored 34 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to spark the Denver Nuggets over the Los Angeles Lakers 127-102, continuing their dominance of the NBA rivalry, while Scotty Pippen Jr scored a career-best 30 points to lead the Memphis Grizzlies past the Chicago Bulls, 142-131. The Nuggets won for the 13th time in the past 14 contests against the Lakers, including ousting the Lakers in the playoffs the past two seasons. Serbian star Jokic failed to achieve his sixth consecutive triple-double, managing only eight assists, but his effort was plenty as Michael Porter Jr added 24 points and 11
RSS