Italo Ferreira exclusive: ‘I had to battle to be seen as someone special'
As the surfing season begins, the Brazilian star remembers his arduous journey from a fishing village to Olympic gold, comments on the legacy he is building for his community, and praises the healthy rivalry between himself and compatriots Filipe Toledo and Gabriel Medina in an exclusive interview for Olympics.com.
Surfing
The moment Italo Ferreira stepped onto the podium at Tokyo 2020 as the first Olympic champion in the history of men's surfing, he was representing more than the Brazilian flag.
It was the triumph of an athlete who has had to prove himself since the very beginning of his journey when he surfed on a styrofoam board in a fishing village.
"I had to battle to be seen as someone special," Ferreira told Olympics.com in an exclusive interview during the off-season in Baia Formosa, before the start of the 2023 World Surf League Championship Tour.
The 28-year-old not only achieved where he set out to but also made history in his sport.
"Other guys will win [the Olympics], but the first one will never be forgotten. My name will be there," he said.
Find out what Ferreira had to say about the inspiration he took from skateboarder Rayssa Leal in Tokyo, his rivalry with fellow Brazilians Filipe Toledo and Gabriel Medina, and how surfing helped him leave a legacy for other generations.
Italo Ferreira and the Olympic gold: inspired by Rayssa Leal
When it was confirmed that surfing would be on the Tokyo 2020 programme, Ferreira knew the event could change his life.
"It became a fixation in my mind, an obsession for me to mark my name on the world stage. I believe God wrote the best story," he said.
Nonetheless, he was still impressed with the magnitude of the Games.
"I had no idea how big the Olympics were. I knew they were big, but when I started to compete and checked social media, I really saw the impact it had."
Seeing Brazilian skateboarder Rayssa Leal win the silver medal inspired Ferreira to make his homeland proud.
"It was so important for her sport, skateboarding. Such a young girl taking a medal home. Two days later, I was in the same spot. I had the chance to win Brazil's first gold medal [in Tokyo]," he remembered.
"It was something so great for the sport, to be the first Olympic surfing champion. Other guys will win [the Olympics], but the first one will never be forgotten. My name will be there."
The challenging waves of Teahupo'o, Tahiti will host the Paris 2024 surfing competition. Ferreira has never won an event there, but he is confident he can thrive when the time comes to do so.
"I know God will prepare something for me [in Tahiti]. Over the past few years, I have dedicated myself to these barrels.
"It's one of my dreams to be an Olympic champion again."
Italo Ferreira: leaving a legacy for my community
Ferreira may be extremely competitive, but his passion for surfing goes way beyond trophies and medals.
"When you're in the water, it's a moment that you forget everything else. It's so good for me and I have done it since my childhood. It connects you to God as well," he said.
Every time Ferreira returns to Baia Formosa, he reverts to being the young boy who used to ride waves with an improvised styrofoam board that his father used to sell fish on.
"Nowadays, I'm much more well known because of the Olympics, but I take it easy. I'm just like any other person. I just have some titles. It doesn't make me better than anyone else."
Ferreira recalls that his ease with aerials - a very hard trick for many but a natural thing for him - comes from his childhood.
"When I was a kid, I jumped everything. The waves here [Baia Formosa] don't give you much space, so my first trick ever was an aerial. I almost had to retrieve to be able to learn the other tricks."
Being at home allows Ferreira to understand the scale of his legacy. He launched an institute in his hometown to teach young people to surf, such as Arthur Villar, an 11-year-old who became his pupil.
"The institute will add more to the local community, so children have opportunities, a light [to follow] and some direction," he explained.
It's not just kids who are inspired by Ferreira, though.
"I met a 68-year-old lady," he said. "She told me she began surfing because she saw me at the Games, and that surfing was one of the best things she ever did in her life."
Italo Ferreira on Medina and Toledo: ‘We make each other better’
Since 2014, only Hawaiian John John Florence has stopped the 'Brazilian Storm' from winning the Championship Tour of the World Surf League (WSL). Gabriel Medina is a three-time champion (2014, 2018 and 2021), Adriano de Souza triumphed in 2015 before retiring, Ferreira won in 2019, and Filipe Toledo joined the club in 2022.
"We make each other better. When one of us wins, the other is always around. We have many stories to tell, and the heats in which we compete against each other are the best ones. When I started, everyone said they wanted to compete with Kelly [Slater] or John [John Florence]. Now, these people are from Brazil," he said proudly.
Ferreira competed in the 2022 WSL Finals with a fissure on his foot, and finished as a runner-up, losing to Toledo.
"I carried this injury to the final, but I couldn't give up on that opportunity. Afterwards, I stayed in the USA so I wouldn't surf, because I knew that if I went home the chances I got back in the water were 110 per cent," he confessed.
The WSL Championship Tour 2023 starts in Hawaii on 29 January, with Paris 2024 quotas at stake.
"2022 was one of the most consistent years of my career," he reflected. 'I didn't win any events, but I qualified for the finals and finished runner-up, which is positive. The focus is to remain at the top."
MORE | Filipe Toledo wins WSL crown
Italo Ferreira: 'I know my purpose'
Every time Ferreira is in need of motivation to keep going, he remembers the early days when few believed in his potential.
"In 2019, when I won [the CT], no one was talking about me. I watched a video where I faced some criticism and it affected me a lot. I improved and won the title," he explained.
"In the juniors when I was part of a very good team, I was always last on the list. No one thought about Italo. I thought people needed to see my worth, and that I could be as good or even better than the other guys.
"I had to battle to be seen as someone special."
But how does someone not succumb to this external doubt and even become stronger because of it?
"You have to be present on a daily basis, think about what you believe in. A lot of people try to diminish you through their phones [social media] - something that's disposable. You need to remember 'Why am I doing this? Why am I going to practice?' I know my purpose, that if I dedicate myself and believe until the end, I can achieve anything."