- WSL / Rip Curl

On the eve of the start of the 50th running of the Pipe Masters, two-time World Champ Gabriel Medina and longtime sponsor Rip Curl have agreed to extend their relationship for another five years.

"Rip Curl and I, we have been together a long time and we know each other well," Medina said in a press release. "We have a lot of respect and support for each other and they are a surfing company all the way through."

Medina, who first joined Rip Curl when he was 14 years old, finished on the Jeep Leaderboard in 2019 and qualified to represent Brazil in the upcoming Tokyo Olympic Games.

With the forecast for the Pipe Masters looking solid, Medina is an obvious threat. Most recently, he finished runner-up in the prestigious event in 2019 and won it in 2018

"The waves are going to be good for Pipe and I love it there," Medina continued. "I want to get the tour started and surf hard again. I'm ready."

The waiting period for the Billabong Pipe Masters presented by Hydro Flask gets underway on December 8.

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