Surfing is in the Olympics now. It took a long time, a whole lot of hoops, and has taken a whole lot of flack, but it’s now officially part of the Games. Duke Kahanamoku’s dream is a reality — he believed surfing in the Olympics would benefit everyone. The “Sport of Kings” has come full circle, from Sport of Kings to anarchist pastime and back to Sport of Kings again. For pro surfers today, the Tokyo Olympics might not be the end-all-be-all of surfing contests, but one has to expect that they’re all relatively excited about the chance of having an Olympic gold medal. Leonardo Fioravanti certainly is.
“I finally qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics!” he wrote. ” Being the first alternate because of the 2019 WSL ranking, I replaced Jordy Smith due to an injury. I feel very sorry for Jordy but at the same time I am honored and excited to live a dream that will come true. I will represent my country in the first OLYMPIC edition in the HISTORY OF SURFING.”
In order to compete in the Olympics, a surfer has to take things a little more seriously than they perhaps might otherwise. Above is how Fioravanti prepared for the big dance.
