Adriano de Souza is your 2017 Oi Rio Pro champ. Photo: WSL/Poullenot
Just like that, Adriano de Souza is victorious in Brazil – much to the delight of thousands of screaming fans on the sand.
And for an event that tends to get a bad rap, there were certainly a few redeeming bursts worthy of intrigue. Here’s a quick rundown:
Filipe Toledo Suspended from Fiji
In his round three heat against Kanoa Igarashi, Filipe was charged with an interference, which cost him the heat. Afterward, Filipe charged the judges tower and was fined and suspended from Fiji as a result.
Yago Dora Is a Force
Everyone’s talking about Yago Dora. After winning the trials, the wildcard successfully took out Kolohe Andino, world number one John John Florence, and Gabriel Medina before losing to Adriano in the semis. Sitting pretty at number 3 on the QS rankings, he’s likely to qualify for next year’s tour and really shake things up.
Adriano Joins the World Title Conversation
ADS, Jordy Smith, and Owen Wright all currently sit at equal 2nd in the World Tour rankings. John John’s still got a handle on the yellow jersey going into Fiji, but a bad result there for John and/or a good result for anyone else could change things.
