When Gabriel Medina won the world title in 2014, the competitive surfing world was catapulted into a new chapter of its existence. As official sponsor of the WSL, Samsung Galaxy produced and shared a video that documents Gabriel’s breakthrough and what it meant for the sport as a whole.
Speaking in his native Portuguese, Gabriel comes off as humble and as surprised as anybody that he achieved what he did. Prior to that year, Brazilian surfers were often criticized – cast as pompous, aggressive outsiders to the sport. But Gabriel’s contagious smile, his undeniable talent and his passion for surfing ushered in a new era for the Brazilian Storm. They became publicly recognized as world title contenders. They became accepted.
And as evidenced by the Samsung Galaxy WSL leaderboards, Gabs and the Brazilians aren’t backing off; four surfers from Brazil are currently in the top ten (Medina included). But Gabs and the Brazilians have always been contenders on the Tour – legends like Neco Padaratz or Adriano de Souza’s current domination come to mind – and that trend will undoubtedly continue.
“If you go down to the beach [in Brazil], you’ll see all the kids with the surfboards and the smiles,” says Christopher Culbertson, VP of Marketing for the WSL, in the video. “Those kids are going to be the next Medinas.”
Although surfing is an individual sport, the video highlights how Medina and his path to the championship was made possible through the support of his fellow Brazilians. That’s something that everyone (Brazilian or otherwise) can embrace: unity through a shared love for surfing and its progression.
