Three years after winning gold in the surfing debut at the Tokyo Olympics, Brazil arrives in Paris 2024 as the only one among the 11 participating countries with the maximum number of six athletes. The team has been complete in Tahiti, French Polynesia, since last Saturday (20), when Tatiana Weston-Webb from Rio Grande do Sul landed on the archipelago in the Pacific Ocean. Tati joined Filipe Toledo, known as Filipinho, the current two-time world champion; Gabriel Medina, three-time world champion; João Chianca, known as Chumbinho; Luana Silva; and Taina Hinckel at the Brazilian Team base, set up just a few meters from the beach.
Good morning, Paris. Good night, Tahiti!
As dawn breaks in the French capital, the first day of training in Teahupo’o comes to an end. Our athletes took to the water and got high in the atmosphere of the #Olympic Games 🌊
📸: William Lucas/@timebrasil#Paris2024 #Surfing #TimeBrazil pic.twitter.com/GjkixG59PW
— Time Brazil (@timebrasil) July 22, 2024
The sextet held their first official training session in the tubular waves of Teahupo’o on Sunday (21). The surfing competition window will open next Saturday (27), the day after the Paris 2024 opening ceremony.
“I’m very happy to have arrived in Teahupo’o to participate in another Olympic Games and try to win a medal. Everyone here at the base is very excited and very hopeful that Team Brazil will have a great result. I hope they have great waves in the competition, but in the meantime we’re preparing to arrive at the right time,” said Tati, who in May achieved an unprecedented female score of 10 in the waves of Teahupo’o, in the current season of the World Surf League (WSL).
“I’m really happy to be here,” said João “Chumbinho” Chianca, after training on Sunday (21), in Teahupo’o. The surfer from Saquarema spent the first four months of the year recovering from a serious accident in Pipeline (Hawaii) last December – Matt Dunbar/World Surf League/All Rights Reserved
João “Chumbinho Chianca”, 23, from Saquarema (RJ), also has no secret of his anticipation for his debut. He suffered a serious accident in Pipeline (Hawaii) in December, when he hit his head after falling from a wave. After the accident, he spent four months recovering from the after-effects, such as paralysis on the left side of his body. Persevering, Chumbinho returned to competitions at the end of April, in time to prepare to fulfill his Olympic dream.
“We are already here in Tahiti preparing for these great Olympic Games. The vibe is intense here at Team Brazil’s base. I am so happy to be here. The structure is amazing,” said Chumbinho, who secured his Olympic spot in August of last year, when he was number 4 in the world rankings.
“I’m excited. It’s a dream come true,” said Filipinho, the current two-time world surfing champion, who opted out of the WSL this year to take care of his mental health and prepare exclusively for the Games. William Lucas/COB/All Rights Reserved
The Teahupo’o event will also mark the return of two-time world champion Filipe Toledo to competition. Originally from Ubatuba (SP), he chose not to compete in the WSL this year in order to focus on his mental health and preparation for the Paris Games.
“It’s every athlete’s dream to be at the Olympic Games and win a medal. And for our sport, surfing, I feel like this is the highest point we can reach,” Filipinho said in an interview with the official website Olympics.com. “I was very close to qualifying for Tokyo 2020. I only missed it by 150 points or something, but this year I’ll be able to represent my country, my family and my friends, everyone who supports me. I’m excited. It’s a dream come true,” revealed the 29-year-old from São Paulo.
Brazil has the maximum number of representatives at the Paris Games as it secured two extra spots (one for men and one for women) due to its qualification at the 2024 ISA World Surfing Games in March in Puerto Rico. Gabriel Medina secured his Olympic spot by winning the ISA Games title. In the women’s competition, Tati Weston-Webb, who competed at the ISA Games already qualified for Paris, secured the third female spot, filled by Luana Silva, the daughter of Brazilians, born in Hawaii.
