This win moves Medina from number 8 to number 3 in the WCT rankings. Photo: WSL
Gabriel Medina won the Quiksilver Pro France last night. Again. This is his third win there, and damn, was he ever convincing. France, for many, is the best part of the Tour. With punchy beach breaks, and that wonderful French culture, it’s unlike any other spot. Medina’s win moves him from the eighth spot on the Jeep Leaderboard (it was weird to see him all the way down there, wasn’t it?) to number three. John John Florence moved to the pole position after Jordy Smith lost the yellow jersey. That means, of course, that Medina does indeed have a shot at another World Title–it’s a long one, but it’s possible.
“It feels so good to win an event,” Medina said. “This is a really special place for me, I love coming here, I’m so, so stoked. It’s been a great event this year, we’ve had really good waves. I’m not even thinking about the World Title or the rankings, I just wanted a win. I promised to myself I had to win one event this year, and it feels so good now I’ve done it.”
Medina won the final against Seabass, the three-thumbed and lovable Hawaiian who didn’t even seem to mind losing. “I was trying to get barrelled, conditions were amazing,” he said afterward, “That [other] side of the draw was super gnarly, Gabriel and John, probably the heaviest guys on Tour. I’m bummed I didn’t put up more of a fight, but it’s alright, I got a trophy.”
It was a strange win, though–Medina’s generally pretty damn obvious throughout an event. He’s claiming and doing things that no one else on earth can do. He’s putting on a show. This win, however, seemed to sneak up on everyone, although he did indeed do things that no one else can do. He beat John John in the semi-final, then worked his way through the ranks cutting the throats of everyone’s hopes. That was never more obvious than in the final, where Zietz looked slightly off-kilter. Medina seized that and ran with it, dominating through the majority of the heat.
And of course, we’d be idiots if we didn’t mention Medina’s impossible backflip in the semis against John Florence. It was proof that Medina is a world champion for a few very good reasons: he’s capable of doing things like that backflip, he’s the most contest-savvy surfer since Kelly Slater, and he wants that trophy back.
