In Japan, Italo Ferreira experienced glory —and the unexpected. On Tuesday (27), the Brazilian surfer, gold medalist at the Tokyo Olympics, saw his board break in half in the first maneuver in the final against Japanese Kanoa Igarashi.
After receiving a pass, he managed to catch another 11 waves and earn grades that allowed him to surpass Igarashi.
"We know that we are going to go in and do our best, but along the way, there are several barriers to overcome," he said.
In his case, there always seems to be an extra hurdle to overcome, particularly in Japan.
In 2019, Italo participated in the World Surfing Games in the country, a prerequisite for the Olympics. He arrived at the competition when the debut battery had already started. Four days earlier, his passport had been stolen in the US. The delay was caused by procedures necessary to issue a new document and by a typhoon, which postponed its flight.
Upon arriving at the competition, he borrowed a board and entered the sea in the denim shorts he was wearing. He won and later became champion.
In 2021, a tropical storm in Japan was responsible for increasing the wave size of the Tsurigasaki sea to almost 2 meters.
When Italo came out of the water as Brazil's first gold medalist in Tokyo, he was carried and feted by the Brazilian delegation. In the sky, a rainbow formed.
Translated by Kiratiana Freelon