At home in Brazil, the enigmatic goofyfooter is considered a national hero thanks to the World Titles he delivered to the proud surfing nation in 2014, 2018, and 2021. His homecoming to São Paulo was national news after an epic win at Pipeline for his second title, and to this day Medina has a tough time going anywhere in Brazil without being recognized. By 2021 he had 8.7M followers on Instagram, and after his selection for the Tokyo Olympic Games his popularity showed no signs of slowing.

Of course, if you were anywhere near the Brazilian surf scene a decade ago you saw Medina coming. His explosive repertoire of above-the-lip maneuvers earned him all kinds of amateur titles in his early teens, including Rip Curl’s Grom Search, Quiksilver’s King of the Groms, and several National titles. In 2009, a 15-year-old Medina became the youngest surfer ever to win a major Qualifying Series event.

By mid-2011, 17-year-old Medina qualified for the Championship Tour (along with John John Florence) and immediately took the spotlight with his high-flying acrobatic approach. He won the first event he entered as a CT member and repeated the feat two events later. His huge impact on the international stage poured fuel on the fledgling Brazilian Storm, a fresh injection of like-minded talents from Brazil that now occupy one-third of the Championship Tour roster.

Since 2015, Medina has earned more Championship Tour victories than any other competitor, and he dominates his closest rivals in head-to-head battles, which is why he remains a perennial World Title contender. In 2019 he was yet again involved in one of the most dramatic surfing finales in history despite finishing runner-up to Italo Ferreira.

In 2021 Medina married the Brazilian model Yasmin Brunet, and split from his long time coach, his step-father Charlie Rodrigues.

Working with Andy King he started the year in electric form by winning two CT events in Australia and becoming the first surfer to qualify for the inaugural WSL Finals. His dominance throughout the year proved prophetic and Medina dramatically claimed his third World Title in epic waves on the cobblestones of Trestles. In doing so he joined his heroes Mick Fanning and Andy Irons as 3X World Champions.

Instagram: @gabrielmedina