When Gabriel Medina clinched his first World Title in 2014 there was little doubt he’d be back for more. And sure enough, the Brazilian powerhouse has been in the mix each year since.
| 2017 Season | Career | |
|---|---|---|
| Average Heat Score | 14.15 | 14.05 |
| Heat win rate | 67% | 66% |
| Heats won | 33 | 414 |
| Heats surfed | 49 | 626 |
He ended up No. 3 on the Jeep Leaderboard in 2015 and 2016, and while that means he’s remained in the lofty World Title race discussions, anything short of total victory seems to be a letdown for his fans. After all, talents like Medina don’t come around often. And while he endured a slow start to the 2017 season, he’s now sitting at World No. 2 again with just one event to go. And this is after an average year by Medina's standards.
| Average Heat Score | |
|---|---|
| Gabriel Medina | 12.86 |
| Everyone | 10.39 |
But it’s not too late for him to make it another great one – after all, he just skyrocketed up the rankings, thanks to his back-to-back wins in France and Portugal. With just one more contest to go, this sleeping giant is now wide awake.
When it comes to the rules of engagement, Medina's a warrior of old order, and most of the time it serves him well.
After disappearing in the early season, the Brazilian's back-to-back wins in Europe put him right back in the World Title race.