Witnessing Gabriel Medina win the first world title for Brazil in front of a large Brazilian crowd at Pipeline was very emotional. The celebration was historic in itself. It was immediately evident that Medina’s world title is maybe one of the best things to happen for the sport of surfing.
The echoes of Medina fans’ chants are still playing in my head – I even catch myself subconsciously chanting “Medina, Medina…” My friends look at me like I should be checked into a mental hospital, because they know I was hoping that Kelly Slater would win his 12th world title. “You weren’t there,” I tell them. “You would’ve cried, too!”
Although I wasn’t even a Medina fan going into the Pipe Masters, once I saw what it meant for the nation of Brazil and realized how good it is for surfing, I damn near joined his family’s celebratory plunge into the water.
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