Gabriel Medina Talks Through The World Title Showdown
12/08/2017

Gabriel Medina Talks Through The World Title Showdown

Two months ago, it was almost unfeasible that Gabriel Medina would be fighting for his second World Title in 2017. But then Europe happened, where he won two events back-to-back and catapulted himself to second place on the WSL Jeep Leaderboard.

Today, two days before the start of his World Title showdown against John Florence, we sat down for a quick chat…

Gabby… when you went in to Europe, did you expect to come out with two wins?

Did I expect the two wins? No! I mean, I was fine, my boards were really good, and mentally I was thinking of taking it all heat by heat. I knew that I could maybe win one, but not both of them!

"I have good memories. I know what I need to do to make it to the Final at Pipe, and I'll try to do it again." - Gabriel Medina

Those wins obviously changed the game coming in to Pipeline…

Yeah, they did. I'm super happy with my results. They went beyond what I expected – and now, yeah, I'm excited. Before Europe happened, I was not thinking about a World Title. Now it´s possible to think about it, to invest in it. There aren’t too many points between John and I…

You and John have had some good battles in the past, but this might be the biggest of them all. How are you feeling, as you approach this showdown at Pipe?

I have good memories. I know what I need to do to make it to the Final at Pipe, and I'll try to do it again. It will be a cool battle, especially since it's against John John. Today he is one of the toughest guys to compete against on the Tour, and of course he has a bit of an advantage because he lives there. He knows the wave very well, but nothing is impossible.

Maybe this is the most important moment in my life. And because of that, I'll do everything I can to be ready. I'm alive in this World Title battle – that’s all there is to it.

So let's surf and, God willing, get another World Title for Brazil.

So, what does Gabriel Medina need to do to win his second World Title in Brazil? Here’s the scenario…
If John makes the Final of the Pipe Masters, he wins the 2017 World Title… and there ain’t nothing Gabby can do to stop him.
If John gets 3rd or 5th place, Gabriel Medina can win the World Title by winning the event.
If John gets 9th, Gabriel needs to make the Finals to win the Title.
If John gets 13th or 25th, Gabriel will need to get a 5th or above to win the Title.

#VaiMedina