Surfing moves by Brazilian great Filipe Toledo produce more noise than the water itself. The surfer has not only earned the WSL yellow jersey, but he has also secured spots in the WSL Championship Tour Finals and the 2024 Olympics in Paris. The Brazilian surfer had an outstanding year in 2023, proving himself with impressive performances both on and off the waves. Toledo’s recent victory at the Corona Open J-Bay shows that he is still a formidable opponent in any kind of surf.
Filipe Toledo’s great showing at the Corona Open J-Bay came despite a small injury he sustained after losing his home tournament, the Vivo Rio Pro. The surfer made an incredible comeback and showed the world his mettle by snatching victory away from Australian surfer Ethan Ewing with a really unbelievable score.
Heated battle on cool South African waves
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Brazilian surfer Filipe Toledo and Australian surfer Ethan Ewing battled it out for 45 minutes at Supertubes. The predictions were favorable for Toledo (76%), but anything can happen in surfing because of a surfer’s skill on any given wave. As with the elements, surfing can never be predicted. Toledo scored an impressive 8.83 in the first round, putting early pressure on Ewing. Ewing responded with a score of 5.67, but they still had a ways to go in their preparation for the subsequent waves.
Both surfers were unable to score on the following several waves due to the challenging conditions at Supertubes. When Toledo paddled out on the fifth wave, he did something that shocked not only the crowd but also the WSL judges. When he first enters the water in the popular Instagram video, Toledo swings his surfboard and tries a wild trick. But the Brazilian star wasn’t ready to leave it like that, and he went on to execute many drifts on the waves, earning a gigantic 9.93. Despite his best efforts, Ewing could only manage a 6.93 on the sixth wave, much behind the score of the Brazilian superstar.
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Filipe Toledo won the Corona Open J-Bay with a score of 18.76, rocketing his Championship Tour point total to 54,980. The surfing world has one more tournament to watch the Brazilian pioneer before the WSL Finals.
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The next competitive surfing destination
The SHISEIDO Tahiti Pro will take place in Teahupo’o, Tahiti, French Polynesia, on August 11, 2023. Prior to the 2024 Olympics, which will also have the same location on their calendar for the surfing category, professional surfers will take on one of the world’s most hazardous waves.
The 2022 Outerknown Tahiti Pro was won by Brazilian surfer Miguel Pupo; however, Pupo will be absent from this year’s competition due to injuries. Many of the world’s best surfers will use this event as their last test before the WSL Finals in September, so spectators can get a glimpse at the top five on the Championship Tour right now.
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