Yeah, Yago is number one, but…… Photo: WSL
“Some places just feel like a different planet,” posted John John Florence on Instagram. Below the drone image of the 2024 World Champion walking on a ribbon-bridge of sand that snaked through Blue Hawaiian cocktail-colored waters to isolated tropical islands, Yago Dora commented, “Insane.”
Three days later, Dora would take John’s world title trophy in Fiji. John, being on a different planet from the WSL’s new content creation set, couldn’t hand it over as is the precedent. The difficult question is just how much does Florence’s absence detract from the Brazilian’s win? And if we add Gabriel Medina, who has been missing all season due to injury, can a dreaded world title asterisk be added to the conversation?
It’s a horrible question, because the simple act of posing it detracts from Dora’s achievement. Some could call it petty. Others would label it clickbait. Brazilian surf fans, and this is a guess, might get upset. They could ask who has the right to question the ultimate achievement of the most genuine, likeable, and complete surfers on tour?
It’s a fair point. The 29-year-old Dora won two events, made the final at J-Bay, and reached the quarters in another four events. He finished as the World No. 1, while making an acai bowl of progressive surfing, true style, and tube riding chops when it gets serious. For Chrissakes, he turned up the day after his win with a Ronaldo-style shaved head (the fat, Brazilian Ronaldo, not the Portuguese fake – look it up, kids!). In the last decade of covering professional surfing at close quarters, I haven’t heard anyone say a single negative thing about his surfing or his personality. And God knows I tried.
But, and you knew there was a “but” coming, his title still needs to be put in the context of recent world champions, and the absence of Florence and Medina. Dora’s ratings point lead at the end of the 11-event regular season was a healthy 5,785. Yet that pales in comparison with all the champs since the WSL Finals format was introduced. Last year, Florence’s lead was more than 12,000 points. Toledo was similar in 2023 and even bigger in 2022. In 2021, Medina’s nearly 13,000-point buffer was so dominant, it seemed almost designed to make a mockery of the then-new WSL format.
Yago’s relatively narrow margin, however, could just mean that this season was more closely fought. After all, some of the most memorable world title wins went down when the points spread between the top surfers was as thin as a ’90s thruster. And Dora had to overcome the veteran Jordy Smith, world champs Filipe Toledo and Italo Ferreira, emerging threats Griffin Colapinto and Ethan Ewing, plus Jack Robinson. It’s a strong list.
However, I can still argue that it was two announcements earlier in the year that were just as big a factors in his world title win as any of his heat victories. The first was news of John’s 2025 sabbatical, released just a week before the season kicked off at Pipe. “I want to create the time to explore, find new waves, and draw different lines,” he said. The WSL wished him well, gifted some solar batteries, a pair of deck shoes, and a wildcard for 2026. Not long after, Medina underwent surgery for a chest injury, and with an undetermined recovery period, said he was also taking a year off.
Suddenly, there was a massive hole where the men’s defending champion should have been, and the chiseled shadow of two three-time world champs. The hole had to be filled, the shadow bathed in light. Life goes on, and after a horror start at Pipeline, Dora set about methodically making his own history. The old sports adage that you can only beat the opponent in front of you remains forever true.
While Florence traveled 2,000 miles by yacht with his partner and young son (a journey as admirable and inspirational as any elite athlete in the world right now), and Medina got back to fitness (and fell in love!), Dora combined a decade of experience, pure talent, and a will to win to claim surfing’s top prize. And no one can ever take it away.
The scale and legacy of that victory, however, will be put to the test in 2026. If Florence returns to full-time competition as promised and Medina comes back fit and firing, a defense of the title would remove any of the question marks. Add committed world champs Toledo and Ferreira, and next-gen turned perennials Ewing, Griff, and Robinson, and it might be the first full, stacked, and best field since 2020.
Dora and surf fans now only have to wait seven months for it to start. But that’s another whole gripe.…
