Gabriel Medina became the first Brazilian man to win a World Surf League championship in 2014.
Medina secured the title during the final event of the 2014 season at Pipeline in Hawaii. His victory marked a major moment for Brazilian surfing, which had produced many elite competitors but no previous men’s world champion.
Medina is known for powerful aerial maneuvers, progressive trick combinations, and strong performances in heavy surf. His win helped inspire the growth of Brazil’s professional surfing program and the generation sometimes called the “Brazilian Storm.”
He is sometimes confused with Adriano de Souza, who became Brazil’s second men’s world champion in 2015, or Italo Ferreira, the 2019 champion and 2020 Olympic gold medalist. Medina also won Olympic silver in men’s shortboard surfing at the Tokyo Games.