A win at the Rio Pro has eluded Gabriel Medina during his illustrious career. Photo: Thiago Diz//WSL
Matt McGillivray sent Gabriel Medina packing early, defeating the three-time world champ in round two on the opening day of the Rio Pro. The South African wildcard filling in for injured Jordy Smith used a combination of barrels, turns, and airs to take down Medina on his home soil.
Needing a 6.74 in the dying minutes of the heat, Medina loaded for an air reverse and completed it. He looked optimistic, but his coach, Adriano De Souza, didn’t look as excited. The wave was small, the flow on the wave was awkward, and the air was not particularly impressive. The score came in short at 5.5.
It’s Medina’s first round two exit of the season. Currently ranked third on the tour, his 17th in Rio will most certainly end up being one of his three throwaway results as the title race heats up.
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Curiously, Brazil has been the toughest venue for Medina compared to other stops on the 2026 tour. He’s never won in Brazil. He has several quarterfinal finishes, but hasn’t made the semifinals since 2013. He missed last year’s edition due to a pectoral injury that kept him sidelined for the entire season.
The only other stops on this year’s tour that Medina hasn’t won are Bells Beach and El Salvador. But he made the semifinals at Bells this year and in El Salvador in 2024 — better than his performances lately in Rio.
Medina’s worst result of the season comes as he’s testing out new boards. He rode a Channel Islands model in Brazil today for the first time at a Championship Tour event. He’d traditionally ridden Cabianca, but has lately been seen testing out Al Merrick’s boards. It could be a coincidence, but Medina fell on a few maneuvers that the world champ would usually finish.
It will be telling to see if he doubles down on his Channel Islands boards when he returns to competition at tour stop number seven in Tahiti.
