The Corona J-Bay 2023 is underway in Jeffreys Bay, Eastern Cape, South Africa. Some of the biggest names in surfing are competing in the event, including Kelly Slater, Ethan Wing, John John Florence, and the Olympic champion Italo Ferreira. Till now, Ferreira was making waves with his performance. However, not all went well for the Tokyo Olympics gold medalist during his elimination heat against Ian Gentil, as he suffered a gruesome injury.

The incident took place while Ferreira was attempting a difficult trick with his surfboard. The injury was a result of the wrong angle while landing. This particular heat during the World Championship Tour did not end well for the legend. Italo Ferreira also provided a worrisome update on social media, that has everyone contemplating a notion. Will the previous Olympic champion be able to defend his title in the 2024 Games?

Olympic surfing dreams on thin ice due to serious injury

During the Corona J-Bay heat, Italo Ferreira landed badly while attempting to drop a massive floater. The iconic ‘floater maneuver’ is an advanced one, and involves riding the lip of a breaking wave and landing with both feet on the board. As Ferreira landed at an unnatural angle, he injured his knee. The damage was bad enough that Ferreira had to call for help. While the replay of the heat did not reveal much information, he posted a video of himself being wheeled into the hospital on Instagram.

In the caption, Ferreira wrote, “I am really sorry! I had to abandon the heat and go straight to the hospital after making a mistake and hurting my right knee.” A similar incident took place last year when he experienced severe back cramps but was able to carry forward despite his pain. Recalling the incident, Ferreira wrote, “Unlike last year, I wasn’t able to continue after feeling a lot of pain.” Italo Ferreira was exceptional when he became the first-ever man to win a gold at the Olympics. In spite of breaking his board minutes into his heat, he changed gears and defeated Japan’s very own champion Kanoa Igarashi to take the win.

Read more: Kelly Slater Upset After American Surfing Prodigy Drops the Perfect ‘Aerial’ at Corona J-Bay Opener

However, with the horrible injury, his dream to return to the Games in 2024 seems to be dubious now. Four other Brazilia surfers are ranked above him in world rankings, and there are only two more Championship Tour spots left in the season. As Ferreira himself said, “I hope it’s nothing serious and I can get back as soon as possible, but with other plans! Because I can’t reach my ultimate goal.” Hopefully, the surfing icon will be able to make a comeback soon, but with how bad the injury is, no one can be sure.

A horrid knee injury derails plans

When the elimination round began, Italo Ferreira was ready to take down Ian Gentil. He dropped high 7s in the first 15 minutes of the round. While the World Champion was determined to capitalize on that lead, things went horribly wrong. He took off on a high-speed lip-line floater. Although, as he was coming back down, his back foot slipped and his knee landed on the surfboard in an unnatural direction.

The wipeout was a bad one, and Ferreira emerged asking for help. The Jet Ski quickly picked him up and brought him to safety. After he shared the clip of him being taken to the hospital, many greats from the surfing world sent their wishes to the Brazilian surfer. Kelly Slater wrote, “Heal up, buddy. That didn’t look good at all. Hope it’s not as bad as first thought!” With his knee hurt and the statistics against him, it is doubtful Ferreira will qualify for Paris.

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