Huzzah! Rather than sweep the Ibelli/Medina imbroglio under the rug and pretend it never happened, the wozzle have not only made a decision but they've explained it to the punters too.
In today's Surf Breaks, they dig up time-coded footage that shows Caio sitting up on his board while Medina is still ploughing through the whitewash.
Say what you will about Medina, but he's a ruthless competitor, in the water and on social media.
"Surfing IQ was at a premium: navigating warped, wobbly, yet sizable chunks of water."
A day when too much pro surfing was...too much.
We're set for a cracking opening day of the waiting period before onshore winds set in.
Tilly wins her third and Ellice-Flint his first.
With an imminent start, organisers will be closely following Hurricane Humberto.
After a two-month break, the fourth event of the Challenger Series kicks off shortly.
With two heavy lefts between here and the world title, Steve Shearer rates the contenders.
Epic Finals Day at pumping J-Bay concluded with wins to Connor O’Leary and Gabby Bryan and, it must be said, the WSL.
Comments
I'm equally interested in the WSL's Department Of Spelling. Is the missing 'm' a US thing? All previous WSL references have had double M. Ain't a Portuguese thing either, as it's either comissária (feminine) or comissário (masculine).
Nice pick-up Ben. Notch one up for the spelling & grammar nazis (and I include myself in that group).
hahahahaha idiocracy!
hahahaha! nice one Ben. I too am in the spelling and grammar fascist club
Me too because I am so bad I try to get it right.
Me too. Because I am so bad, I try to get it right.
Me too, because, I am so bad, I try to get it, right?
You are a details man, but what do you mean by "comissário (masculine)"? I am a numbers man and after several recounts, there is still only 1 M
"Portuguese nouns come in two types: masculine and feminine. Masculine nouns usually end in an -o, and feminine nouns usually end in an -a."
Yes Charlie is ruthless.
Eat copious bags of dicks Medina.
Youz cuntz can say wot youz want bout Medina, but show me world champ that has set up a not-for-profit charity to feed, educate, and care for kids in poverty.
That is a real champion.
"Becoming a part of the Instituto means training, every day. It means having a coach in the water and on the land. It means getting fed every day. It means learning English. It means going to school. It means having the ability to see a dentist. It means having hope – or at least that’s what the Instituto is striving for."
https://www.coastalwatch.com/videos/21508/gabriel-medina-creates-a-whol…
Medina puts most World Champs to shame, both in and out of the water.
Perhaps if Australia and the US/Hawaii were societies with poverty and social issues on a scale similar to Brazil then the world champs from there would have done similar things.
How good the title chase will be this year if all 5 of the contenders make the quarters and if 4 of them make the semis.
If the swell is big at the back end of the event it probably won't pan out that way but if it's small to mid size it just might.
Throw the book at them
Gary is usually awestruck by Garybriel's ruthless competitive efficiency under pressure, but this case smells worse than Gary's gym locker.
The use of his significant following in the socials (and more famous mates like Neymar) to put out a favourably edited clip that resulted in threats of personal injury to Caio is quite simply not on and should be punished.
Well said, Gary. Calling out Gabs’ poor form makes me think that maybe you’re more than just a Brazo sympathizing homoerotic surf creep
The right thing to do would be for him to step up, say he accepts the decision and *explicitly put the call out to his fans to leave Ibelli alone.
Bring on Pipe.
*explicitly used just for Gary
Spot on, Bnknref. If any good can come from this incident, it’s that WSL’s live-cross to Caio accepting Gabs’ apology may give us another glimpse at Caio’s better half. Those short clips from the van at Margs have stayed with me
Gary is too modest to say but his manliness would never see him sook like this.
Caio says ciao to Medina as the wozzle puts the kybosh on a re-surf....is the best sentence I've read all year.
bullshit.
Medina simply put out a vid showing what he thought occurred and asked for a heat review.
there was no incitement from him.
and the heat reviewed and a decision made.
all good in the hood.
I wondered why Medina even paddled for that wave but in retrospect his highest score wave had just occurred and I wonder if he didn't know the score.
In which case the heat could have seemed much closer to him than it actually was.
But surely there's a more professional way of appealing - rather than broadcasting his side of the story to the easily agitated mob on Instagram.
Thought his insta post was quite fairly stated. Not a rant and rave scenario.
I agree it was fairly stated, I just don't think it should have anything to do with the general public, it probably should have just been communicated directly to the WSL.
I'm pretty sure it was communicated to the wsl, probably with vigor.
Kind of like the fact he shared his thoughts publicly. Kind of respectful to the general public.
Yes, I'm with you.
Firstly correct end result.
Secondly. He is allowed to protest and I doubt whether he would have done it if he didn't think he had a legitimate position.
Final outcome, if he wins the world title he will do it with his surfing.
.........and that is very likely.
Definitely better than the post where he said gay people are going to hell.
Medina 100% lied. He said that he watched Caio finish his wave to make his story seem more legit. Bullshit! He did nothing of the sort.
Whatever however he should put out a call to his 100 billionzillionbrazillion fans and call off the dogs on his insta. Jaddy did a good job of this and he is not even involved. Doesn't he get along with Ibelli or something?
I imagine Gabriel's apology will be following shortly on insta?
i can not believe gabriel did not know he was winning that heat, some professional.
too lazy to check the board. he doesn't have to cheat to win he just has to pay attention.
Swellnet team, hope there's no issues with posting a link to this, but I thought it was a good read to give the whole thing more context. Sounds like Ibelli has been put through the wringer.
https://stabmag.com/news/caio-ibelli-is-receiving-death-threats-from-th…
All good. Def worth a read.
The comments, however, are of a much lower standard than here.
Always but it is stab.
Swellnet comment section is so bland it aint even vanilla
Can we just discuss the facts and the outcome, and not resort to "fucken cunt bag of dicks you suck wanker" ad hominem attacks?
No.
Nah, Island Bay, that would be like, way too boring. Nothing like an ill-informed slag-fest to get the punters going.
Sport is theatre and you can't let these rotten tomatoes go to waste.
Just saw this article, reposting from old thread:
Refer to my handle
Surfing is being ruined by the excessively competitive 'tennis tour', most passionately embraced by the Brazilians.
The priority judge's call was probably wrong - doesn't matter, the call was made and it stays. Play on...
‘Kin oath Stu. That’s why I like Medina, he’s never boring. Always winding people up.
Island bay, nah, he deserves it the whinging toerag
Not only does Medina deserve it, but so does Island Bay, Freeride and anyone else who's stuck up for him! Bag of dicks the lot of yers.
can you imagine how incredibly fucking boring this 2foot close-out beach break comp would have been without Medina's brain implosion?
Equally as boring.
Oh for sure: Garybriel is stupendously entertaining whether winning or losing, and 100% the villain that pro surfing needs to create excitement & engagement.
Gary's issue here is that Medina chose to take it out of the locker room and onto the streets (socials); with the result being his competitor copping a shit tonne of undeserved and harmful abuse. Intentional or not, that outcome was entirely foreseeable and at the very least Medina owes Caio a public apology in the same forum (instagram) where he has considerable reach and influence.
If he doesn't, he should be reprimanded as he would be in other sports if he took an on field disagreement off field in a way that resulted in an opponent copping death threats.
If he doesn't his reputation outside of Brazil has just gone from bad to entirely in the shitter. What I can't understand is they are bagging a fellow Brazo. If it happened between two Aussies I can't see this being as nasty and I am sure they would have had it out over a beer. It's the Brazillions that pushing this off the charts which is weird.
I was just thinking that. It's generated some excitement in an otherwise yawn-fest. Makes for an interesting finale at Pipe.
I wonder if all those who were so strident in their belief that Gabriel had priority will now admit their mistake, a mistake made by not waiting until all the available evidence is available.
Was that a wave they were trying to catch ?
Nobody talks about WSL's screaming incompetence, or their blatant ploy to keep the title run open till Pipe. That would be interesting to discuss.
Screw yelling abuse at the surfers, especially the ones that make it interesting.
Caio might make squillions from all the visits to his Insta page if he is a fully frothing INFLUENCER paid per visit. Gabs probably made half a mill in the process too if his influencer rewards are set up right. Wozzle stoked that they got some publicity from the 2 foot closeout bunny hop contest without having to have a remote controlled shark bump a competitor. Everybody happy.
Pure genius frog! Scam backfires with Wild Card as Olympic Ideal.
If Caio is copping death threats, I’m sure Gabs can cop a few ‘eat a copious amount of dicks’ posts on websites he won’t even visit.
I think Gabriel has a responsibility to quell the violence towards Caio. He was wrong initially (proven) and was wrong to publicly question the result. If he had just chilled out and waited before doing this so publicly he would look a helluva lot less like a stupid, spoilt, over-earnest competitor (apologies for blatant judgements of his character!).
Spot on billie.
Your character assessment is appropriate.
I imagine one of the hardest things for Gabs to believe is that HE himself could have made such a simple mistake. Maybe he was wishing God would tell the WSL to change their decision. The unexpected effect of his actions are that Caio has been bombarded by hate.
Gab, great surfer. Still a fuckwit.
Best comment! You win
Karma is a bitch.
It's 7 years since Gabby refused to take the stage when beaten by Julian in the final and Charlie launched his infamous chair throwing tirade.
A class act.
Full Heat Replay reveals a strange turn of events (Not so black & white)
[13:30] Drone is level with surfers looking back to shore.
Priority Discs seem least priority lost deep into the background remote from surfers.
[13:09] Priority is last seen with [Blue] Ibelli
[13:10 > 10:35] Live Rides & Paddle out into the comp zone is missing (Edited out)
{ INTERMISSION }
(With 2 surfers inside,automatically buys Judges a rare 2-3min Toilet break...hurry back)
[WSL cue replays] of said same wave rides but skips the return paddle out!
Rule: If both hit lineup then priority flips to next surfer (Medina) Head Judge can rule.
Judges return to seats...
[9:57] Back Live & still with Priority [Blue] Ibelli...(A lapse during a wee break)
[9:34] Pottz: "Take that 8.17 away & he's still in the lead!" (Bang on cue?)
[9:00] Strider is directly under Priority Discs ("What's Caio gotta do!") (Time & Place?)
(Pause) Crew can see these discs but it's a grey area...(Priority Discs are so feint)
[8:50] INTERFERENCE
[8:43] Medina points to Priority Discs
(Pause) Here's where WSL make things much worse.
Priority is [Blue] Ibelli (Medina's interference & pointing rewards a priority change?)
[8:28] Priority Disc changes to [Yellow] Medina.
Punters here may argue that Judges had it wrong & were late to correct.(Fair point!)
All agree that this was not the time for WSL to cover up the toilet break or scam.
[6:58] Priority Interference Call on Medina
[6:59] Priority Disc mysteriously Yo-Yos back to [Blue] Ibelli (No waves were caught).
[6:12] [Yellow] Medina's 2nd score is wiped, leaving only highest wave score.
Result depended on protest see above.
Post event: Medina's competitor's files mysteriously end up as dartboards on insta
Both on Medina's Insta & now Fifa Star's insta chorusing a hate fest for 10,000's.
Brasil sports fans are condemning Medina for hating on Caio! (see: Bnkref-thanx)
WSL Rules
[188] Sportsmanlike Conduct...re:(Shunted,stole,defamed opponent & WSL Judges)
Suspension & Expulsion + $50,000
[189] Damage to Surfing's image..see above & also trashing Olympics + Fifa's name.
(Brasil sees their Surf Champ shitting over fellow WSL Brazilian surfer) Rock Bottom.
Note:This is an Olympic Qualifying event & Medina might lose spot on Olympic Team.
[193] Physical Assault! Opponent was Strapped to board defenceless in competition.
Very nature of ocean deems this a serious assault that could lead to drowning.
Suspension & Expulsion + $5,000 fines min.
Crew can't even view the heat in full as WSL wiped the toilet break.
Again! Medina Insta Judge split screen tracker is not commercial comp footage.
This is the most serious breach as WSL Caio's personal file & open to corruption.
tbb doubts very much if Caio or judges wish to view WSL X files on Insta judge.
Every other day or anyone else WSL would go spazz...did they order this Kerfuffle?
Medina is currently pulverising Olympic ideal & may yet pay the ultimate price.
you just have to sit on our board to be 'out the back'? no Medina fan but Caio was hardly out the back when he sat on his board. its clear because he then paddled further out to the actual take off zone. its a dog move by Caio and the judges fell for it.
Exactly Billy. My take on this is that Caio was in clean water first but far from the priority spot on the bank the surfers were contesting therefore just sitting up over where he was doesn't grant you priority. The footage clearly shows he then needs paddle way over to get where he might actually catch a wave.
Imagine someone at Chopes catching the second wave but then paddling back and sitting up (before the surfer further out/in front of him) because he was going to surf the shoulder/inside and not the peak - it's laughable.
It's a tricky one because of the beachbreak set up but the above seems tell me the priority judge made the wrong call. If it went he other way I don't think there'd even be a whisper of contention/controversy around it.
Medina should have checked priority - that can't be ignored - and I haven't been much of a Medina fan (and still don't naturally barrack for him) but the blind hate here is showing there's still a lot of dicks who choose bias over balancing the facts.
From what I can gather this is nothing to what Ciao is copping in Portuguese. There is bugger all of us yet squillions of Brazillions. Medina if he has any nuts (which is in doubt at present) should call the dogs off and get on with it. Right/wrong all done and dusted get over it bad umpire decision? Maybe/Maybe not that's sport.
Even if the judges had made a bad call on the priority, one mistake does not justify another. Medina would have to deal with the second priority as athletes assumptions still not above judges calls.
Surf world shocked/relieved to see Brazilians w$%&#&s to each other as well, and not just everyone else.......
Just don’t judge all Brazzos based on Medina. I’ve met some ripping Brazilians in Indo and I’ve seen plenty of Brazzo dickheads who swamp a line up In packs and then paddle for everything that moves. This is the Medina effect.
If you see a Brazzo travelling by themselves rather than in packs, it’s a pretty good sign that they are going to be a decent and friendly person.
Yeah, I know, bit of a broad brush, have also had great experiences with many Brazilians and in general I like the culture. Just a bit of poke with a stick at some of the behaviour in the water. Pack mentality isn't usually much fun especially if you're not part of the pack.
All the Brazzo surfer stereotypes can be applied to Gold Coast surfers. Doesn’t mean every Snapper Rocks surfer is a hassler / snaker / drop in merchant.
Yendor, can I suggest some direct, friendly communication next time you experience this?
We surfed with all sorts in the Ments, and the Brazilians would generally come on fully frothing to begin with. We'd introduce ourselves, ask where they were from, and suggest that they slot into the lineup. Worked every time except one session at B World.
Made some friends and had some really good surfs as a result.
Absolutely. Also remember that it was only Latin passion that prevented Occy getting arrested on drugs in Rio back in 2001. From the NZ Herald:
"The Australian said he did not know that marijuana was illegal in Brazil and was allowed to compete after the crowd protested when police tried to arrest him."
Big ups to the Brazo brothers on that one.
haha. A bit off Occ gold.
Yeah, go the Occ!
Just saw some footage of Italo giving his board to a young fan on the beach. It’s very cool. Compare that to Medina’s hassling and whinging.
More Italo. Less flog.
By all accounts, Gabriel is very generous. Fair enough if you don't like his contest mind/attitude/behaviour, but I'd be careful about painting him as a general satan :-)
I like Gabriel in the context of a WSL surfer. Competitive beast,surfs amazing, generally cool under pressure. I think he struggles with presenting a likeable face to the media Andy Irons was similar with that, he might be really nice in person. It does feel like he should have just made his complaint with the WSL and left it at that. When you've got such a big social media presence I think all of these guys need to be careful how they drum up a frenzy, no telling how nutball fan/trolls might react. The Medina Charlie team does feel a little bit like an overbearing Daddy and a spoilt brat combo. You can sure bet if he knew the priority situation and roles were reversed he would have done exactly the same thing to Caio so seems pretty unfair to take it out on him. I agree with you it all fits the WSL 'can't script this' script very well.
"By all accounts, Gabriel is very generous".
I judge the bloke from what I see in contests and the surfs I've had with him in the water. "Generous" would be the absolute last word I'd use to describe Medina.
Have you surfed with him Vic?
Unfortunately yes. It was like there was Medina triplets in the water.
Bloody oath. Italo is a legend.
Could be a sign of impatient things to come.
No black and white in surfing till the wavepools kicked into gear.
No nuanced line ups, no quid pro quo, "it's my turn" bugger the consequences.
Coming to a coast near you.
sucked in , the tool
You can see Ibelli look over when he sits up. He's knows what he is doing. He's playing to the rule book. Doing anything he can to win. I don't mind it. The comp is being held in crappy beachbreak waves, might as well surf your heat accordingly. Medina had two minutes to check priority. He's just pissed because he made a wrong assumption.
Similar things just cost Wallabies and Raiders. A (wrong) ruling from the refs went against them, they let it mess with their concentration, 2 minutes later the other team is scoring in the corner.
Gotta stay focused. Gotta play to the ref/judges.
Great comparison to draw, totally agree. Maybe less claiming to the judges, posturing to Charlie ' was that good enough, where should I sit' and more quick kick out would see a better priority call
What are Wallabies and Raiders? Is this in Australia? What sport is that?
I think that's when a snake tries to steal a wallaby egg from the wallaby's nest. If the ref sees the snake, the wallabies get a chance to regroup their defence, and save their eggs.
I sure hope velocity is being tongue in cheek, because Wallaby eggs are rare as platypus teeth... Memla, the Wallabies are the Australian International Rugby Union team and the Raiders are a Rugby League team from Canberra, the nation's capital. They are not the same sports, similar in some ways, but two different codes.
Piss take PT and no one took the bait I thought I might get one or two. Nobody really knows or cares much about Rugby (or Thugby as it is known down here) of any flavour in the southern states so any analogy is completely lost in translation.
Memla - Thugby is the game they play after the match is finished. Unfortunately sometimes can involve women, always involves drugs or alcohol, is played internationally occasionally (eg Bali) and is mostly limited to the NRL form of the game!!!!
:)
Everyone knows wallabies actually sub-divide by mitosis.
Nice bait Memla, it's a strange sport that stop-start game.
Interesting how much contempt (supposedly) exists on this site for comp surfing yet so many have expressed their opinion about 1 heat in 1 contest. Just saying... PS derra you are still a flog.
I'm hearing ya mate. Wonder if it's to do with the perception that it's 'not cool to like comps'.
Maybe Medina was paid to throw the comp?
if priority was given to a surfer whether you agree with it or not, that surfer has priority, and therefore any interference with them catching waves is just that.. An interference..
Who played the tactics better, not always the best surfer wins
Mathematically, the title race is still alive, but realistically Gabi will win this year and another 5 or 8 or more World Titles, cause he is THAT good (sorry Phil et al).
I hope Gabi realises and grasps his opportunity to transcend the sport (like Slater or Curren). He could make a real difference for surfing, for his country etc etc
But if he keeps chucking tanty's like Krygios, then Bobbi's prophetic diatribe about the tennis tour ring true
Charlie's done a great job, but maybe he needs to step back and some professional management steps forward to guide this precocious talent?
Full disclosure, I have tried really hard not to like the guy, but his surfing speaks for itself
Wise words Vince. But as good as Gabriel is, John John is better, he just needs to stay healthy. And as you say, Gabriel is being let down by his 'support team'.
25 years old and still described as precocious?
That says a lot.
Imagine how bad it'd be if Caio was not Brazilian himself!
I guess this is what occurs when 'winning' is your primary focus....lose touch with your humanity......I'd rather switch off and go for a quite surf in a beautiful location than get caught up in this soap opera
:)
You can dress a pig in fine clothing, but it is still a pig.
Medina is a brat, world champ or not, his desire to win clouds his judgement, therefore makes him a poor role model for the sport.
He has a lot of growing up to do.
https://soundcloud.com/eachrit/caio-ibelli-responds-to-online-threats
Again, hope it’s ok to post here but this is an interview with Caio about the aftermath of Medina’s insta post. Essential listening. whilst Gary was a Caio fan before, he expects a lot more people will be after listening to how he holds himself here.
Freeride / Steve: do you still stand by your ‘bullshit’ post above?
Gary loves Medina, including his ultra competitiveness in the water. Adds a lot of colour to an otherwise black and white program. But take your beef off the field like this and then not apologise quickly and using the same platform after you lose? Get fucked.
Thanks for putting that up Gary.
Respect for Caio, doing his job sponsorless and getting on with it and remaining humble and conciliatory.
Three cheers for Caio.
And Medina, if he doesn't address this soon and use his huge social media influence to somehow turn this around, well- multiple jeers.
I listened to that. Good to hear it straight from Caio. He sounded (understandably) fairly rattled by it.
Medina came across as a complete fckwit. Hope he has it in him to, at the very least, call for calm.
Whoa, another lay day. What happens if they cant finish in anything other than 1 foot slop? Do they divide all available points between the last eight standing? And more to the point, when will they drop these marginal locations?
With over 27 million people giving you death threats he would have a fair case for asylum in Australia. Brazzos have shot soccer players for loosing games. The threats should be taken seriously. Also where does GM sponsors sit with what their Golden Child has done by falsifying evidence and not trying to calm the farm. Other sports high profile sports people have been dumped by sponsors for thing done in their personal lives, GM is bringing the professional side of the sport into disrepute by his actions and non-action.
Caio should go buy Medina a carton of the best beer on the planet.
Medina just single-handedly resurrected his stalled pro surfing career.
Caio went from zero to hero in one foul swoop.
He was in the process of being soundly flogged and likely losing his spot on Tour, no sponsors.
now he's a mainstream media star and underground hero, still in the comp.
just the facts.
Watch him jag a major sponsor and be back on Tour next year.
Not untrue re: visibility for Caio, but if Medina is happy to use his platform to challenge results after the fact, and it results in not-insignificant collateral damage to his countryman, a bit of public contrition wouldn't go astray.
Note that Gary only has issue with the off-field component.
Medina can then show up at pipe and go hard AF on the pitch, play as close to the rules as he likes etc.
Accept the result, acknowledge the impact of your protest, and then show your true competitive mettle in your next opportunity to surf. That's where Medina truly shines above the rest of the field.
Crowd-fund a Caio Pro Tour year, no sponsors, pure white board.
Did Curren do it with no logos back in '90?
Hilarious,2 clowns from the circus squabbling over small onshore pus and the mob are in a frenzy.Who.Gives.A.Fck.But death threats to old mate?Really?It's only surfing.FMD ,what a time to be alive.But on a lighter note,great memories of WOD in the 80's.Is horror man still surfing there ,it's been a while.
Does anyone know if Neymar has apologised?