Brazil will travel to the World Surfing Games without its biggest star. Photo: Pablo Franco//ISA
Brazil will be going for an Olympic slot at next month’s ISA World Surfing Games. But they won’t have Gabriel Medina to help them. Brazil’s national federation confirmed the six surfers who will travel to Peru, with a slot for the LA 2028 Olympics at stake.
The three male surfers are Italo Ferreira, Yago Dora, and Miguel Pupo. The three females are Luana Silva, Tainá Hinckel, and Laura Raupp.
Brazil’s federation had already announced that its selection criteria were based on the current Championship Tour rankings 30 days before the event starts on November 6. Making the team could affect Olympic qualification.
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The men’s and women’s leading teams in the World Surfing Games will secure a slot for their country at LA 2028. If a country fills its quota of two surfers per gender, then this slot could become an “extra” third slot, to be filled as the country pleases. Brazil has already determined that, if it wins this extra slot, surfers who competed in the World Surfing Games get priority.
That’s unfortunate news for Medina. Miguel Pupo surpassed him in the CT rankings after Trestles. Now, Medina has one less pathway to qualify. Of course, Medina can still shoot for qualification on the Championship Tour or the 2028 World Surfing Games. But his qualification chances are reduced by not competing in Peru.
Medina is still first in line as a replacement should anything happen to Dora, Ferreira, or Pupo. It will be interesting to see if Medina travels with the team or sits on standby in case the team needs him to jet to Peru.
