3x World Champion Gabriel Medina To Return To The Championship Tour

Few surfers have left as deep an imprint on modern professional surfing as Gabriel Medina.

Rookie of the Year at just 17. A World Champion by 20. A Pipe Master. Two-time Tahiti Champion. The surfer who broke the 45-year goofy-foot drought at Jeffrey’s Bay. Medina went on to claim additional World Titles in 2018 and 2021 and added an Olympic bronze medal in 2024 for good measure.

And now, Gabriel Medina is officially returning to full-time competition in 2026 as a World Surf League (WSL) Season Wildcard.

The last time we saw him in a contest jersey was Fiji 2024, where a quarterfinal finish showed flashes of the form that had defined his competitive peak. A few months later, footage emerged of Gabe looking dialed in while freesurfing on The Search.

But just days before the 2025 season opener at Pipeline, Medina announced he had torn his pectoral muscle while surfing at home in Maresias, Brazil, an injury requiring surgery and forcing him to withdraw from the 2025 Championship Tour.

Since then, he has remained focused on recovery, rebuilding strength, and getting back in the water.

Medina’s return follows a wave of comeback announcements. Earlier this week, his Rip Curl teammate and the greatest female surfer of all time, Stephanie Gilmore, also announced her return to competition after a two-year hiatus.

Joining them are two other greats of the sport, Hawaii’s Carissa Moore and John John Florence, bringing the World Title tally to 19 between the four of them.

“With Medina’s return,” the WSL said regarding the announcement, “the 2026 field will feature one of the strongest lineups in history, combining established Champions and a new wave of rising stars all chasing the World Title.”

With these surfing legends back in the mix, and the WSL returning to its traditional format, next year’s CT is shaping up to be one for the ages.

We can’t wait to see it all go down when we kick off the 2026 Championship Tour at the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach on April 1, 2026.