Exclusive: How Gabriel Medina hopes to add to his legacy at Paris 2024 Olympics
It was December 19, 2014 when Gabriel Medina made history. At the age of 20, on the waves of Pipeline, in Hawaii, the surfer kicked off a golden generation. It was just the beginning of a success story, which took Brazilian surfing to a new level.
He has continued to blaze a trail since then, and hopes to keep doing so in the waters of Tahiti at the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
"It's incredible to return to Tahiti. It's a place I love, my favourite wave and I really feel comfortable here because the people are welcoming, the waves are good, it's a place I like to be," Medina said to Olympics.com on the eve of competition.
"When I come home, I find a similar life, small town, I know everyone, it makes you feel part of them because they treat you like family. I don't know, I just feel at home here."
Gabriel Medina in a barrel during day three at Teahupo'o on the island of Tahiti in French Polynesia, where the surfing events for Paris 2024 were held.
Spreading joy through surfing
Medina classifies Teahupo’o as his favorite wave. “The result and good performance will be consequences, because I love being here,” he said to Olympics.com. But in addition to his passion for the place, he also worked hard to be confident in his surfing.
“I trained well, I feel good. I wanted to get to to the moment and feel good. So the work was done out of the water and now I will be focused on the details inside the barrell. I'm going to put everything I've been practicing and working on into it."
What moves Medina is the sentiment his surfing can cause people to feel. For the surfer, the definition of success lies in this:
"I think, for me, success means when people are proud of you for the person you are, for the person you represent, whether within the sport or as a human being. It means a lot to me.
“Actually, I do a lot of things because I like to make the people next to me happy. So, that's it, making these people happy means success for me," he told Olympics.com.
Medina's mental health and his return
After winning his third championship, 2022 was challenging for Medina. Before the start of the WSL season, he announced that he would not compete in the first two events, citing physical and mental health problems.
He stepped away from competition for a few months and revealed that he had suffered from depression with everything that happened the previous year. In May, Medina returned to the circuit and achieved good results, but was left out of the WSL Finals, won by Filipe Toledo.
"All these years have been years of learning. I think the life of an athlete is like that, it goes through ups and downs. And you have to know how to deal with it. You have to learn to deal with it. No one said it would be easy, no one said it would be a certain way.” Gabriel Medina.
“I think the important thing is for us is to keep our faith during the process. Everyone goes through a process. And make the best of it. I think that making mistakes, going through difficult times is where you learn the most. And I experienced this a lot. And I feel proud of the person I've become, the things I've been through.”
MORE | Gabriel Medina: 'Being an Olympic medalist is my goal'
Gabriel Medina flying high over Teahupo'o
Brazilian storm: Medina, Toledo, Ferreira
Medina's victory in 2014 was considered a determining factor in the so-called “Brazilian Storm”. Until then, surfing was dominated by Australia and the United States, but since Medina's first title, Brazil has won six of the 10 trophies contested.
In the following years, he continued to compete among the best. He came in third place in 2015, the year in which Adriano de Souza, Mineirinho, was champion, and in 2016; he was runner-up in 2017, losing to one of his biggest rivals, John John Florence, and returned to the top of the podium in 2018, winning three stages and his second championship.
In 2018, three Brazilians finished the season among the top four, with Filipe Toledo in third and Ítalo Ferreira in fourth. The following year, it was Ítalo's turn to lift the trophy, with Medina coming in second place.
SEE ALSO | Evolution of Gabriel Medina
Frustration at Tokyo 2020 and the comeback
In 2020, the WSL was canceled because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The following year, surfing made its debut at the Olympic Games and Medina was one of Brazil's representatives at Tokyo 2020.
He arrived in the Japanese capital after winning two stages, in addition to being runner-up in three others. One of the favourites for the first Olympic gold in surfing history, the South American saw the medal slip away after losing in the semi-finals to Kanoa Igarashi, the home athlete. In the dispute for bronze, he lost again, this time to Australian Owen Wright.
Despite his frustration, he returned to WSL contention, in which he was also a strong favorite after the season's great results. It was the first year that the WSL Finals was held, which brings together only the five best surfers of the season and follows a different format compared to the other qualifying stages, with a “knockout” system.
The fourth and fifth placed teams in the ranking will face each other in the first round. Whoever wins faces third place and so on, until reaching the leader. The title is defined in a best series of three heats.
Leader of the ranking, Gabriel Medina, therefore, only competed in the final. He faced compatriot Filipinho and won 2-0 to reach his third title.
Medina is surfing one of his favorite waves in Tahiti and looking for the ultimate reward of an Olympic medal in an already historic career.
Since 2014, the Brazilian has always reached at least the semifinals in the Teahupo'o stages. He was champion in 2014 and 2018 and runner-up in 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2023. In 2016, the São Paulo native finished in 3rd place, the only time he did not advance to the final. It is worth remembering that the stage was not contested in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic, and in 2022, Medina did not compete because of an injury.
Tahiti is in French Polynesia, a territory 15,716 kilometers from Paris. The stage is one of the most iconic and dangerous in the WSL: Teahupo'o, in the local language, means beach of broken skulls.
Even so, the danger is no match for Medina, who shines in the waves of Tahiti. And it is with this background that he goes in search of the long-awaited Olympic gold.
“Every time I surf here, I’m grateful. It's not everywhere in the world that you have this scenery, so beautiful, with good energy, good people. I feel good, with gratitude,” Medina said to Olympics.com.
“Every time I come here I know it’s an opportunity and I want to do more. I know that if I surf one heat well, I will surf another heat, and another, and another, and that makes me try more and more.”
Paris 2024 ambitions
Expectations regarding Medina's performance in Paris 2024 are high.
The Brazilian had a great performance in the qualifying phase, before meeting Kanoa Igarashi in the round of 16. The score of 9.90 and the fantastic photo of the Medina celebrating are already in Olympic history.
The confidence around Medina also increases due to the return of his partnership with Charles, his stepfather and again his coach. He is present in Tahiti to guide him and over the years has become essential support.
“I'm glad I brought my stepfather back to the competition with me. He's a guy I feel comfortable with, I have a lot of confidence and I'm happy to bring him here, an important moment in my career”, said Medina, to Olympics.com.
“I don’t think there was a better way to be competing in the Olympic Games, alongside him. He certainly gives extra motivation and I think he deserves the medal. For everything we’ve been through, so it’s one more reason to be here.”
Given his personal and professional experiences, Medina has a deep awareness of his processes and what brings out his best. He arrived at Paris 2024 ready to tap into that knowledge and with a hunger to excel.
“I've been through a lot in the last ten years of my life, I've won three titles, so I don't care about the pressure that people talk about. But I know it was hard work for this moment, and I really want to do well here”, he analysed, to Olympics.com.
No two waves are ever the same, and each set is different. He sees this as a good thing. “Every moment is an opportunity. That's what I like about surfing. Every day you go surfing you always have the opportunity to start over.
“Maybe there’s bad surf, well, it varies a lot. Sometimes the sea doesn't help much, but you have the opportunity to start over every time you go surfing. And I carry that mantra with me life", he explains.