Ítalo Ferreira will continue wearing the yellow lycra of first place on the world surfing circuit after finishing the fifth stage of the WSL, based in the waters of El Salvador. The Brazilian surfer, who overcame a medical scare in the previous days and almost missed the event, secured his place in the quarterfinals by beating United States competitor Crosby Colapinto by a score of 12.50 against 11.00. Soon after, Gabriel Medina eliminated Australian athlete Jack Robinson with a total of 13.84 to 7.87 and confirmed his classification in the tournament held in Punta Roca.
With these results combined, Gabriel Medina is the only surfer on the circuit with a mathematical chance of stealing the top of the general classification from Ítalo Ferreira, in a championship that is scheduled to resume the following day.
Ítalo Ferreira becomes a drummer with a score of 7.50
In the confrontation involving Ítalo Ferreira, opponent Crosby Colapinto started with an advantage, receiving a 6.17 from the judges, while the surfer from Rio Grande do Norte received a 5.00. After registering two unsuccessful attempts, the season leader found the main wall of the dispute and scored 7.50. The North American athlete still surfed other opportunities in the heat, but his best mark stopped at 4.83, decreeing his disqualification from the race in El Salvador.
Gabriel Medina opens the heat with 6.67
The place as leader of the world ranking belonging to Ítalo Ferreira is at risk solely because of Gabriel Medina’s performance. In the duel valid for the round of 16, the three-time world champion beat Australian Jack Robinson by a comfortable score of 13.84 to 7.87. The start of the São Paulo native had a score of 6.67, but he saw the competitor from Australia close behind with a score of 6.00. The place was consolidated when Gabriel Medina found another good section to repeat exactly the same 6.67, while his opponent risked the last maneuvers without being able to finish the waves standing up.
Samuel gets good rips and scores 5.67
Samuel Pupo from São Paulo ended up out of contention after falling to Italian athlete Leonardo Fioravanti with a tight score of 15.50 against 14.29. The European surfer dictated the pace of action from the first minutes of the heat, opening his work with a 5.33 to open the distance and, shortly after, achieving an excellent score of 8.17. The Brazilian sought to react gradually by finding the right line of his maneuvers, scoring 5.67 when the clock still showed 20 regulatory minutes until the end, a scenario in which he needed 7.84 to reverse the disadvantage.
The final minutes of the clash caught fire on the Salvadoran beach. Samuel Pupo performed a commendable performance that earned an 8.60 from the judges, but the Italian caught the wave behind and scored a 7.33 to regain the definitive lead in the heat.