Italo Ferreira has dethroned Gabriel Medina to claim the WSL world title on a feisty final day of competition for 2019.
Only sometimes does the year-long race come down to the final heat. This was one of those times.
In the yellow leader’s jacket, Ferreira held his nerve throughout finals day, ignoring the drama that engulfed defending champ Medina and keeping the two-time champ in his wake in the final.
Earlier, Medina was involved in a controversial interference, blocking another of his fellow countrymen on a wave.
It denied Caio Ibelli the chance to improve his two-wave total and possibly cause a Round of 16 boilover.
After the near-speechless commentators finally collected themselves, Medina’s move was considered to be ‘the most clever tactical manoeuvre ever seen in the history of the sport’, doing the math to know his he’d win in spite of a one-score penalty.
But others felt strongly that the ‘dick move’ was not in the spirit of competition.
Ferreira becomes the third Brazilian in six years to claim their maiden crown… also the third Brazilian ever to win the WSL championship.
Medina was the first, back in 2014, followed by fellow countryman Adriano de Souza the following season.