Gabriel Medina has withdrawn from the 2023 ISA World Games in El Salvador. As Brazilian news outlet O Globo reports, Medina came down with the flu and withdrew in order to recover in time for the upcoming Surf City El Salvador Pro CT event.
“Gabriel has had the flu for two days and due to the proximity to the El Salvador stage of the WSL, we opted to withdraw from the competition. If the CT stage wasn’t so close, we would continue in the competition, but we can’t risk it. He needs to be 100 percent this coming weekend,” said a representative of the Brazilian surfing team, as translated.
Though the ISA games in El Salvador are a means of qualifying for the 2024 Olympic games in Paris, Medina’s withdrawal shouldn’t hurt his chances to attend the games. The continents of Africa, Asia, Europe and Oceania qualify athletes through the ISA event, but the Americas earn a place through the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile. In addition, Medina will most likely qualify via his ranking in the Championship Tour, provided he maintains his position in the top ten.
