When Ferreira received stitches before the El Salvador event, he made the finals. We’ll see if the stitches affect his performance in Fiji. Photo: Cait Miers//WSL
Italo Ferreira is known for surfing every wave like it’s his last. He does not safety surf, and that’s probably why he’s become one of the most innovative aerial surfers of his generation. But his freesurfing has banged up his body, as he suffered a gruesome facial laceration ahead of the Fiji Pro.
His press team said he had an accident during the morning session on Wednesday, requiring five stitches to his nose. However, it won’t affect his participation in the event. It’s unclear how the incident occurred, whether his fins or the reef caused the cut. Ferreira posted a rather graphic video showing the extent of the damage.
“But we press on,” Ferreira wrote on Instagram. “The enemy tries every tactic, but my faith remains unshakable. God protects me, strengthens me, and enables me to move forward in every battle.”
Ferreira also received stitches ahead of the El Salvador Pro in June after he was run over by a surfer while giving his partner surf lessons at El Sunzal, a right point break several miles away from the event site. Despite getting eight stitches in his knee, he surfed through pain and made the final, where he lost to Leo Fioravanti.
When men’s round two continues at the Fiji Pro, Ferreira will match up with Matt McGillivray. Ferreira, who has won at Pipeline and Teahupo’o, has said that it’s one of his goals to also win at Cloudbreak.
