Is Medina planning on being fashionably late? Or is he just not showing up altogether? Photo: Pukassurf.com
Let’s get one thing straight: Gabriel Medina did not win the 2014 World Title by chance. There was no luck involved, and it had nothing to do with the WSL legitimizing themselves as the sole global governing body of professional surfing. It had nothing to do with corporate sponsors, favoritism, shaking things up a bit, or provoking discussion. Rather, Gabriel Medina won the 2014 World Title by superior surfing and consistency—nothing more.
Gabriel’s unprecedented success in 2014, followed by the tremendous amount of global media attention, begs an exhausting, yet extremely appropriate question: Where the hell is Gabriel Medina this year? How does someone who went from winning three contests and never placing worse than a 9th (with two throwaways) the entire year now sit in 20th place and in danger of falling off tour next year if he doesn’t turn things around? We saw a scanty appetizer of the electric Gabs down at Bells this year, but it was nothing close to what everyone knows he’s capable of. Something’s happened. Something’s changed with Gabs.
To gain a better understanding of Gabriel’s absence, so to speak, let’s look back on his little episode with Glenn Hall following the controversial interference at Snapper. The incident shocked a lot of people, as it illustrated uncharacteristic behavior of a World Champion. Secondly, it revealed Gabriel is dealing with an immense pressure, which I believe is affecting his surfing and the choices he makes during heats. Unfortunately, that pressure seems to have set a precedent thus far in the form of bad results.
Medina: the 2014 Billabong Pro Tahiti champion. Will he defend his trophy? Or will he continue to write this year’s common story? Photo: WSL / Kirstin Scholtz
Following Gabriel’s remarkable performance in 2014, there was not only an expectation for him to do well in 2015, but there was an implicit expectation that he would have a run at Kelly’s reign of dominance in regards to world championships (being that both are the youngest surfers ever to win a World Title). He appeared to tap into something very special early on in his career by combining smart, superior surfing with a fiery competitive spirit. He was seemingly untouchable last year and many expected him to carry that momentum into this year and begin his ascendency to become one of surfing’s greatest. But he didn’t. And that was a major letdown.
In addition to his failure to follow up, I believe Gabriel’s competitive fire inside is burning a little less intense this year. He completed his goal of becoming the World Champion and has since taken it down a few notches. And who can blame him? Surfing on tour is a fucking gauntlet. He sacrificed a hell of a lot to win that trophy last year and perhaps he became a bit complacent this year. After all, the guy’s locking down multi-million-dollar endorsement deals from endemic and non-endemic brands while he spit shines that lustrous world champion trophy.
But hey, maybe I’ve got it all wrong. After all, the waves weren’t very cooperative during the first few contests. I would love nothing more than to see Gabriel Medina make me eat my own words. With J-Bay, Teahupoo, and they European leg just around the corner (all contests which he performed exceptionally well last year), Gabriel will have the perfect opportunity to silence his critics and climb up the rankings where he belongs.
