Didn’t land it, right? Well, watch the video. Photo: WSL//Ed Sloane
In round three of the 2026 WSL Championship Tour debut at Bells Beach, Italo Ferreira lined up a backside air and flung himself into a full rotation. While in the air, both his feet came off the deck, the wind caught the board and started turning it on its axis, and Ferreira landed with his feet together in the center of the board while his body flopped in the whitewash. Then, he magically stood up. That bit of magic earned him a 7.83.
We’ve seen Ferreira land dramatic, unimaginable airs to save a heat before, but even with the completion, the former world champ and Olympic gold medalist wasn’t able to overcome Gabriel Medina.
Only needing two waves, Medina landed a cleaner full rotation of his own at Winkipop, linking together backside snaps to notch a heat total of 15.6. Despite five chances to better his situation, Ferreira couldn’t muster the 7.78 he needed and was eliminated with a 14.66 heat total and an equal ninth.
Medina, making his Championship Tour return after missing the 2025 season with a pectoral injury, continued to the quarterfinals, where he’ll face Samuel Pupo. The men’s and women’s quarterfinals will kick off the action when the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach resumes.
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