Ítalo Ferreira

Ítalo Ferreira (born May 6, 1994) is a Brazilian professional surfer hailing from a small community of Baía Formosa, in Rio Grande do Norte on the northeastern coast of Brazil.[1] Ferreira is one of the most explosive surfers in the world and is known for his high-energy approach and willingness to entertain at all costs.[2] He learned to surf on a three-foot-long lid of a coolbox his father used to transport fish to sell to restaurants in Baia Formosa.[2] He quickly progressed to a real board and at 12 years of age, his talent was noticed and then nurtured by fellow surfer Jadson Andre and the legendary Brazilian surf coach, Luiz 'Pinga' Campos, who was then marketing director of one of the world's leading surf brands.[1][2] Soon after, Ítalo won two rounds of the Junior World Championship in 2011 (finishing runner-up in the category overall), won the Brazilian Championship and in 2014, he finally qualified for the World Championship Tour – the elite of world surfing.[1]

Ítalo Ferreira
Ferreira holding his gold medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics
Personal information
Born (1994-05-06) May 6, 1994
Baía Formosa, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil
Height5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Weight149 lb (68 kg)
Surfing career
Best year1st: 2019 - WSL World Champion
SponsorsBillabong, Red Bull, Oakley, Bridgestone, Ford, T. Patterson Surfboards, Creatures of Leisure, Surf Fins, The Box SM, Silver Surf Surfboards
Major achievements
Surfing specifications
StanceGoofy
Medal record
Men's surfing
Representing  Brazil
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place2020 TokyoShortboard
World Games
Gold medal – first place 2019 MiyazakiMen
Gold medal – first place 2019 MiyazakiTeam

Ferreira first gained notoriety on the Championship Tour during his 2015 rookie season with a spellbinding aerial attack, a strong backhand and a vicious rail game. During his breakout year, he made the Semifinals in Rio and the Quarterfinals in Fiji, Tahiti, and France before making his first CT Final in Portugal. Italo ran away with the Rookie of the Year award after finishing his remarkable year 7th in the rankings.[2] From that time on, many considered him a serious Title threat, including his hero Mick Fanning. However, his stellar rookie season was followed by a few inconsistent seasons.[2] He had bright spots in 2016 with Semifinal appearances at Bells and Margaret River but was stopped in Round Five seven times, finishing the year 15th in the rankings.[2] He looked on track to rebound in 2017 after a strong fifth-place finish at Snapper, but two days after the event, he tore ligaments in his ankle, and he missed the next three stops. Eventually, finishing 22nd in the rankings.[2] He bounced back almost immediately in 2018, with event wins at Bells, Keramas, and Supertubos, finishing the season 4th in the rankings.[2] In 2019, Ítalo started by winning the first tour stop of the year on the Australian Gold Coast. Later, he also won the inaugural Red Bull Airborne event. He would continue the season with a victory at MEO Pro Portugal and final runner-up finishes at the J-Bay Open and Quicksilver Pro France. The final event of the year was at the Pipe Masters, where Ítalo contested the title with his compatriot Gabriel Medina in the finals, eventually winning the event and being crowned world champion.[1] On July, 27th, 2021, Ferreira won the first men's Olympic surfing gold medal in the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics.[3] On August 4th, 2023, Ferreira became the first Brazilian born surfer to be inducted into the Sufers' Hall of Fame.[4][5]

Career

Victories

WCT Wins
Year Event Venue Country
2021 Rip Curl Newcastle Cup presented by Corona Newcastle, NSW  Australia
2019Billabong Pipe MastersBanzai Pipeline, Oahu  Hawaii
2019MEO Rip Curl Pro PortugalSupertubos, Peniche Portugal
2019Quiksilver Pro Gold CoastGold Coast, Queensland Australia
2018MEO Rip Curl Pro PortugalSupertubos, Peniche Portugal
2018Corona Bali ProtectedKeramas Beach, Bali Indonesia
2018Rip Curl Pro Bells BeachBells Beach, Victoria Australia
WQS Wins
Year Event Venue Country
Juniors Wins
Year Event Venue Country
2011Quiksilver Pro JuniorRio de Janeiro Brazil
2011Mormaii Pro JuniorGaropaba Brazil

WSL World Championship Tour

Tournament 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2021 2022 2023
Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast 9th 13th 5th 13th 1st - -
Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach 25th 3rd INJ 1st 5th - 5th 17th
Margaret River Pro 13th 3rd INJ 13th[6] 5th 5th 5th 9th
Oi Rio Pro 3rd 9th INJ 13th 17th - 3rd 9th
Corona Bali Protected - - - 1st 17th - -
Corona Open J-Bay 13th 13th 13th 25th 2nd - 5th 17th
Billabong Pro Teahupoo 5th 13th 13th 5th 17th - 17th
Surf Ranch Open - - - 13th 9th 9th - 2nd
Quiksilver Pro France 5th 13th 25th 13th 2nd - -
MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal 2nd 13th 13th 1st 1st - 3rd 9th
Billabong Pipeline Masters 13th 13th 5th 13th 1st 3rd 9th 17th
Fiji Pro 5th 13th 9th - - - -
Hurley Pro at Trestles 9th 13th 13th - - - -
Rip Curl Newcastle Cup - - - - - 1st -
Rip Curl Narrabeen Classic - - - - - 9th -
Rip Curl Rottnest Search presented by Corona - - - - - 3rd -
Corona Open Mexico presented by Quiksilver - - - - - 5th -
Rip Curl WSL Finals - - - - - 3rd -
Hurley Pro Sunset Beach - - - - - - 17th 9th
Quiksilver Pro G-Land - - - - - - 9th
Surf City El Salvador Pro - - - - - - 3rd 5th
Rank 7th 15th 22nd 4th 1st 3rd 2nd
Earnings $171,000 $146,750 $102,750 $398,000 $391,600

References

  1. "Italo Ferreira". Red Bull. Retrieved 2022-05-15.
  2. "Italo Ferreira Surfer Bio - Men's Championship Tour Event Results". World Surf League. Retrieved 2022-05-15.
  3. John, Branch (July 27, 2021). "Carissa Moore and Italo Ferreira Win the First Olympic Gold Medals in Surfing". New York Times. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
  4. "Decorated trio enters Surfers' Hall of Fame in Huntington Beach". Daily Pilot. 2023-08-05. Retrieved 2023-08-30.
  5. Eckardt, Jade (2023-08-04). "Surfers' Hall Of Fame 2023 Induction Ceremony". Surfer. Retrieved 2023-08-30.
  6. "WSL to Complete Canceled Margaret River Event at Uluwatu". Surfer.com. 10 May 2018.
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