Italo Ferreira is back in classic form and possibly career-best form. The goofyfooter from Brazil earned a 17.86 heat total this morning in Heat 3 of the Quarterfinals, eliminating Ezekiel Lau from the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach. If Ferreira wins the event, he will become the second-ever Brazilian to ring the Bell (Silvana Lima being the first).
The Brazilian earns an 8.83 on his opening ride against Ezekiel Lau.
"I'm trying not to get ahead of myself," said Ferreira. "I'm just going heat by heat. I found some good waves in that last one. I'm excited. My board is working good. I'm feeling good."
The Brazilian kicked off the Quarterfinal clash with an 8.83, taking an early lead against Lau with a series of critical turns. Lau was unable to match Ferreira -- earning a 4.67 on his first scoring wave.
But Ferreira didn't slow down there. He earned a 9.03 to back up his previous score, which is the highest scoring wave of the men's event so far. With the new judging system, athletes are struggling to score into the excellent range but not Ferreira. Not only did he earn the highest single wave score but he also earned the highest heat total of the year so far. The Brazilian grew up surfing a tight right-hand pointbreak -- making his quick transitions look seamless. If his Quarterfinal heat today is any indication of what his year will look like, Ferreira could be in World Title contention.
The Brazilian is arguably in the best form of his career so far, racking up huge scores for waves like this one at Bells.
After landing a massive maneuver on his last wave, the Brazilian was feeling it -- throwing up his hands for the claim. Ferreira will be facing fellow Brazilian Gabriel Medina in Heat 3 of the Quarterfinals.
Italo Ferreira Back in Classic Form
Ali Shrode
Italo Ferreira is back in classic form and possibly career-best form. The goofyfooter from Brazil earned a 17.86 heat total this morning in Heat 3 of the Quarterfinals, eliminating Ezekiel Lau from the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach. If Ferreira wins the event, he will become the second-ever Brazilian to ring the Bell (Silvana Lima being the first).
"I'm trying not to get ahead of myself," said Ferreira. "I'm just going heat by heat. I found some good waves in that last one. I'm excited. My board is working good. I'm feeling good."
The Brazilian kicked off the Quarterfinal clash with an 8.83, taking an early lead against Lau with a series of critical turns. Lau was unable to match Ferreira -- earning a 4.67 on his first scoring wave.
But Ferreira didn't slow down there. He earned a 9.03 to back up his previous score, which is the highest scoring wave of the men's event so far. With the new judging system, athletes are struggling to score into the excellent range but not Ferreira. Not only did he earn the highest single wave score but he also earned the highest heat total of the year so far. The Brazilian grew up surfing a tight right-hand pointbreak -- making his quick transitions look seamless. If his Quarterfinal heat today is any indication of what his year will look like, Ferreira could be in World Title contention.
After landing a massive maneuver on his last wave, the Brazilian was feeling it -- throwing up his hands for the claim. Ferreira will be facing fellow Brazilian Gabriel Medina in Heat 3 of the Quarterfinals.
Italo Ferreira
In a major upset, the top Leaderboard surfers are eliminated at the Corona Bali Protected, adding drama to the season's World Title race.
Catch up on the history, wave science and rankings going into the Corona Bali Protected
With the Bali Corona Protected starting on May 13, see what it takes to bag a 10-point ride at the famed high-performance right pointbreak.
Aerial phenom Italo Ferrera lands a buzzer beater victory over Kolohe Andino in final seconds of the Quiksilver Pro.
Italo Ferreira is taken out by massive shorebreak during the Quarterfinals and washed over the Winkipop button.
Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach
Citing an ongoing injury and the upcoming birth of a child, the pair withdrew and will be replaced by Xavier Huxtable and Reef Heazlewood.
Australian legend Mick Fanning has emotional retirement and Steph Gilmore eyes a fourth Bells trophy.
No event on the WSL elite tour has a richer history than Bells. Come see why.
After six weeks Down Under, how is the 2018 Championship Tour shaping up?
How favorites crumbled and rookies rumbled, and what it means for the Margaret River Pro.