Gabriel Medina and Filipe Toledo face each other in the round of 16 of the Raglan stage of the WSL
The world surfing circuit will have a new chapter of the biggest Brazilian rivalry today in the waters of Nova Zelândia. Filipe Toledo and Gabriel Medina won their elimination heats in the Raglan stage and confirmed a direct confrontation in the round of 16 of the championship. The meeting takes place less than a month after the last duel between the athletes, held at Austrália, where the Ubatuba surfer got the better of the current ranking leader.
The expectation for the reunion moved behind the scenes of the tournament this Friday. Toledo showed enthusiasm when projecting the dispute against Maresias from São Paulo on the New Zealand airwaves. The historical record points to an advantage for the three-time world champion, but the sea conditions promise to balance the actions in the next calls of the international competition.
Condições from the sea at Nova Zelândia bring a different scenario from the last confrontation
The stage for the next dispute has geographical characteristics opposite to those of the Australian Gold Coast. The long, high-performance lefts of the Raglan offer a surf line that benefits athletes with their base facing the wave wall. Medina competes in this favorable position, known in the sport as the goofy style. Filipinho positions himself facing the right, having surpassed his compatriot in the previous stage precisely in ideal conditions for his natural positioning.
The healthy rivalry serves as extra motivation for the competitors in their search for places in the quarterfinals. Toledo highlighted that the significant presence of the country’s surfers in the world elite makes domestic clashes inevitable throughout the year. The competitor highlighted the need to separate the bonds of friendship built outside the water at the moment the heat countdown begins.
Retrospecto history points to the advantage of the leader of the world ranking
The two main names in national surfing have built a long history of clashes in the sport’s first division since the 2013 season. Medina won most of the direct encounters, accumulating seven victories against four for their rival from São Paulo. Entre the most notable moments of the dispute are the decisions of the 2021 circuit in Califórnia, when the Maresias athlete secured his third world title after overcoming his compatriot in a series of direct heats.
Balance manifests itself in performance in specific locations on the international circuit. Toledo overcame his opponent in the Surf Ranch artificial wave pool in 2021, giving revenge for the defeats suffered in the same place in 2018 and 2019. The technical consistency of both surfers usually generates high marks from the judges in line maneuvers and flights over crests.
Resultados consolidated from the second round of men
The progress of the competition defined the first crosses of the round of 16 stage at Nova Zelândia. The elimination round saw the falls of experienced competitors and the classification of other representatives of the South American delegation. João Chianca ended up eliminated after falling to Toledo in the fourth heat of the day, adding to the first casualty of the Brazilian storm in New Zealand waters.
The scores recorded in previous heats drew the decisive keys:
- Crosby Colapinto (USA) 10.70 x 9.40 Jordy Smith (AFS)
- Griffin Colapinto (US) 4.17 x 10.50 Alan Cleland (MEX)
- Gabriel Medina (BRA) 15.20 x 10.06 Eli Hanneman (HAV)
- Filipe Toledo (BRA) 15.66 x 10.84 João Chianca (BRA)
- Jake Marshall (USA) 11.46 x 11.97 Liam O`Brien (AUS)
- Ethan Ewing (AUS) 10.00 x 14.33 Morgan Cibilic (AUS)
- Connor O`Leary (JAP) 13.44 x 15.20 Rio Waida (INA)
- George Pittar (AUS) 14.84 x 15.50 Alejo Muniz (BRA)
Próximas event calls depend on local wind evolution
The championship organization works with the ocean swell monitoring schedule to get athletes into the water. The rest of the national delegation awaits the definition of the weather conditions to debut in the second phase of the men’s competition. Expressive Nomes such as Yago Dora, Samuel Pupo, Mateus Herdy, Italo Ferreira and Miguel Pupo need to compete in their heats to try to reach the round of 16.
The technical committee of the world league scheduled the check of sea conditions for early Saturday morning at Nova Zelândia local time. The athletes remain in physical concentration to face the marathon heats scheduled for the weekend. The official broadcast monitors the formation of series of waves in the bay to give notice of the start of the disputes.
