There’s little doubt that John John Florence and Gabriel Medina together make up the preeminent modern rivalry in professional competitive surfing. Both have a pair of world titles. Both possess game-changing skills on rail and above the water, both are heroes in their respective countries.
Due to the Coronavirus pandemic that has pretty much brought the world to a screeching halt, the World Surf League postponed its season (like most every professional sport), so the League is plugging our feeds with video content (which isn’t such a bad thing). The WSL has created highlight reels for its athletes and two of the finest were those of John John and Gabriel. But what this also allows us to do is compare two of the greatest surfers of the last decade side-by-side.
And since everyone is bored out of their minds right about now, this is the perfect time to do it. Take a look at these highlights, analyze, dissect, then tell us: who you got in the greatest rivalry in surfing since Kelly and Andy? Of course, this debate will go on for years, especially with John John coming back from knee surgery. But for now, let the highlight reels fuel the debate.
