There are just a handful of surfers who really stand out amongst the crowd at Pipeline. The classics, of course, like Gerry Lopez, Shaun Tomson, Derek Ho, and Tom Carroll. Then there is Kelly Slater, Andy and Bruce Irons, Jamie O’Brien, Rob Machado, John John Florence, and Gabriel Medina. They’re all in the history books and will forever be known for their skill riding the world’s most famous wave, but for the sake of this discussion, we’re going to focus on Medina.
The Lexus Pipe Pro is just around the corner. The window is open from January 29 to February 10, and if the last few months on the North Shore is anything to judge by, we’re in for a show. It’s been good there, to say the least. Back-to-back-to-back-to-back swells have kept Pipe surfers busy and happy, and now that the event is just a few days off, everyone is trying to get their feet in the wax ahead of it. Medina is one of them, and his experience there is going to pay off.
He’s got three world titles under his belt. Recently, he’s been quiet, but it feels as though he’s preparing himself for a real run at a fourth world title. He’s been training with Andy King — one of the best surf coaches on Earth — and he’s been dialing in surfboards and staying incredibly fit.
If all goes well and the cards fall in his favor, 2024 might be yet another year of dominance for the Brazilian. Although he didn’t qualify for the Olympics, that could mean that his head and heart are entirely in the game for tour events. And with the recent scheduling change that sees Pipe at the start of the year instead of the end, Medina is probably hoping that his dominance there will start him off on the right foot.
Going back a few years, Medina’s results at Pipeline have been good, to put it mildly. In the last 10 years, he’s made the finals in half of the events. He placed second in 2014 and 2015, then won it in 2018. The next two years saw him snag two more runner-up finishes.
In the video above, the World Surf League put together a highlight reel that goes all the way back to 2015, and it’s sure to put fear into the hearts of anyone who comes up against him.
