Italo elated about his first career win, and Steph with her fourth bell. Photo: Screenshot/WSL
Italo Ferreira didn’t pull any punches in the final of the Ripcurl Pro Bells Beach, beating three-time world champ Mick Fanning, and robbing him of a fairytale ending. It’s Ferreira’s first career win.
On his way to the final, an in-form Ferreira took out fellow Brazilians Filipe Toledo and Gabriel Medina in dramatic fashion.
He remained undeterred by the gravity of what a win for Mick would mean in his final heat on tour, not to mention the loud cheers from the beach for every wave Mick took off on.
“He’s a hero of mine,” said an out-of-breath Italo of Mick in his post-heat interview after getting chaired up the stairs. Italo now sits first on the Jeep Leaderboard, tied with Julian Wilson.
To make the final didn’t quite sew up Mick’s career as neatly as he may have liked, but according to him it was no less meaningful.
“It was really a special moment with the crowd,” said Mick behind sunglasses seemingly holding back tears. “And to see how much it meant to [Italo] made me feel better.”
Congrats to Italo Ferreira and cheers to Mick for an incredible run.
On the women’s side, the final surfed between Stephanie Gilmore and Tatiana Weston-Webb was equally dramatic. In the dying minutes, needing a 6.8, Tatiana snagged a solid one – a big turn, giant floater, and a decent ender on the inside. After several minutes of deliberation, the judges threw a 6.57 at it, and Steph claimed her fourth bell. Now, Gilmore joins the exclusive 4 bells club along with Kelly Slater, Mark Richards, and Mick Fanning and takes the yellow jersey at the top of the Jeep Leaderboard rankings.
