John John Florence, a two-time WSL champion in 2016 and 2017, has been a dominant force in professional surfing. His stellar performance in the 2021 Tahiti Pros, where he secured a silver medal just behind Italo Ferreira, showcased his pursuit of excellence. This near-victory earned him immense respect in the surfing community. With Florence’s recent loss setting a high bar, attention now shifts to Gabriel Medina. After a prolonged hiatus, the World Surfing League champion is poised for a formidable return to the 2024 Summer Olympics. 

Following his WSL wins in 2014, 2018, and 2021, Medina is gearing up for what could be another remarkable year. His recent victories have caused ripples of excitement across the surfing world, indicating that he is ready to reclaim his spot at the top. As the competition heats up, the question lingers: which country will clinch the coveted Olympic gold in surfing? With Medina’s formidable return and Florence’s unwavering determination, we’re in for a thrilling showdown on the waves.

Gabriel Medina returning strong after John John Florence’s loss

In a recent Instagram reel posted by Olympic surfer Gabriel Medina, he shared glimpses from his life surfing in El Salvador. He captioned it, “El Salvador 🇸🇻 here we are🥳.” It followed Medina as he and his friends waxed their surfboards and took it to the sea to ride the waves. The surfer is in the country to compete in the Surf City El Salvador Pro presented by Corona, as shared by worldsurfleague.com. In the competition, he will be joined by Leonardo Fioravanti and 2024 Tahiti Pros champion, Italo Ferreira. Medina had a successful Tahiti Pros as well. On the final day, Medina came close to two perfect scores in round 16 against Jake Marshall.

The first one was a straight 10, which was backed up with a 9.83. A heat total of 19.83. It was his fifth 10 in Teahupo’o. After the heat, Gabriel said, “That’s what we’re here for, perfect waves,” adding, “I can’t complain. It’s a day that I’m going to remember.” Though he narrowly missed winning the medal, his performance, especially after his return from hiatus was impeccable. In 2022, Medina faced a tear in his MCL. An MRI showed an injury in his left knee. The recovery time was around 4 to 6 weeks, because of which he withdrew from JBAY. Additionally, that year in April, he took a break from the second half of the World Surf League due to a mental health crisis. He told Brazil’s Globo, “Last year, there were heats where I was crying going to the water.”

Reflecting on his time away, he further candidly shares, “This time [away] was good for me. It’s not a secret. It’s even interesting to talk about mental health. I had depression. started treating myself with a psychologist. I never imagined being in this situation. It’s scary. Things stop making sense for you.” These words shed light on the challenges he faced during his hiatus and the importance of addressing mental health. Reportedly, during this time, he was in the process of separating from his wife. These factors kept him out for the remainder of the season. His first league after returning was the G-Land stage of the WSL in Indonesia. Now he is gearing up for a fantastic Olympic season and he might have landed the USA in a lot of trouble. 

Gabriel Medina overcomes his last Olympics snub

Gabriel Medina’s win at the ISA WSL Games 2024 and Outerknown’s presentation at the Shiseido Tahiti Pros confirm his status as a top contender. At the ISA Games, he bagged a gold for Brazil and secured an Olympic spot for his country. “That’s why we train, to arrive at those decisive moments and be 100 per cent and calm,” Medina told Olympics.com post-game. Though American surfing has a strong foundation with 11x World Surf League champion Kelly Slater who got a heat total of 20 in Teahupo’o, it is important to note that many observed Medina deserved two 10s as well.

The gap is very small and being a younger surfer with more energy, Medina is totally capable of turning the tables. He will also go up against confirmed USA surfer, Griffin Colapinto, in the Olympics. Colapinto secured his spot at the MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal and will prove to be a fierce competitor. However, this year, Medina is totally locked in on his Olympic dream. His great 2024 season is proof. Despite his past disappointments, he is undeterred. Gabriel said that, as far back as when he was a schoolboy, he had always been “rooting for Brazil.” Now he has taken matters into his own hands.

In the 2020 Tokyo Games, Medina faced his biggest heartbreak. Though he surfed with ease across the 2019 WSL Championship tour and won his second world title, it was not to last. He fell to Japan’s Kanoa Igarashi in 2020 and lost to Owen Wright for the Bronze. The failure was even more brutal when, a month later, he won his third World title. Proving that he had the caliber to win an Olympics medal all along. Naturally, this year, Medina will do his best to ensure no mistakes are repeated. This does not bode well for America.