Gabriel Medina is close to a medal at the Tokyo Olympics. With a score of 9 in aerial, the Brazilian, two-time world champion, beat Frenchman Michel Bourez in a heat played last Monday night (26), on Tsurigasaki beach, in Ichinomiya, and advanced to the men’s surf semifinal. Now, he will face Japanese Kanoa Igarashi for a spot in the final.
Confirming the favoritism, Medina finished with 15.33 points in the total, against 13.66 for Bourez. The duel marked a “re-encounter” between the surfers – the Brazilian had already surpassed the Frenchman in the first round of the Games.
On a rough sea day after climate changes — the finals had to be brought forward due to the risk of a typhoon off the Japanese coast — Medina took advantage of the good waves and went on the attack right from the start. It didn’t take long to get into gear. After a few attempts, the Brazilian got a beautiful aerial with about 16 minutes of heat left and he vibrated a lot, sending kisses towards the sand. The grade for the maneuver was 9, leading to a total of 15.33. The Frenchman only reached 9.40 in the sequence and was in a difficult situation.
The final stretch of the battery was pressure for the Frenchman. With three minutes to go, when everything already seemed set, he managed to fit a nice tube and approached the dispute with a score of 6.96, reaching a total of 13.66. Medina knew how to manage the watch well in the sequence and confirmed the victory.
Italo and Silvana in sequence
Brazil will still have two other Brazilians in action tonight. Italo Ferreira faces the Japanese Hiroto Ohhara in the next heat. If he advances, the country secures at least the bronze medal in men’s surfing.
Later, Silvana Lima faces the American Carissa Moore, four times champion of the women’s surfing circuit, in a dispute scheduled for 22:36.
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