Ítalo Ferreira da Costa (born 6 May 1994) is a Brazilian professional surfer hailing from a small community of Baía Formosa, in Rio Grande do Norte on the northeastern coast of Brazil.[1]
| Ítalo Ferreira | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Ferreira holding his gold medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Full name | Ítalo Ferreira da Costa | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 6 May 1994 Baía Formosa, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 6 in (168 cm) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 149 lb (68 kg) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Surfing career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Best year | 1st: 2019 - WSL World Champion | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sponsors | Billabong, Red Bull, Oakley, Bridgestone, Ford, T. Patterson Surfboards, Creatures of Leisure, Surf Fins, The Box SM, Silver Surf Surfboards | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Major achievements |
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| Surfing specifications | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stance | Goofy | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Early life
editFerreira learned to surf on a three-foot-long lid of a coolbox his father used to transport fish to sell to restaurants in Baia Formosa.[2] He quickly progressed to a real board and at 12 years of age, his talent was noticed and then nurtured by fellow surfer Jadson Andre and the legendary Brazilian surf coach, Luiz 'Pinga' Campos, who was then marketing director of one of the world's leading surf brands.[1][2]
Career
editSoon after, Ítalo won two rounds of the Junior World Championship in 2011 (finishing runner-up in the category overall), won the Brazilian Championship and in 2014, he finally qualified for the World Championship Tour.[1]
Ferreira first gained notoriety on the Championship Tour during his 2015 rookie season. During his breakout year, he made the semifinals in Rio and the quarterfinals in Fiji, Tahiti, and France before making his first CT Final in Portugal. Italo won the Rookie of the Year award after finishing his year 7th in the rankings.[2] However, his rookie season was followed by a few inconsistent seasons.[2] He had bright spots in 2016 with semifinal appearances at Bells and Margaret River but was stopped in round five seven times, finishing the year 15th in the rankings.[2] He looked on track to rebound in 2017 after a strong fifth-place finish at Snapper, but two days after the event, he tore ligaments in his ankle, and he missed the next three stops. Eventually, he finished 22nd in the rankings.[2] He bounced back almost immediately in 2018, with event wins at Bells, Keramas, and Supertubos, finishing the season 4th in the rankings.[2] In 2019, Ítalo started by winning the first tour stop of the year on the Australian Gold Coast. Later, he also won the inaugural Red Bull Airborne event. He would continue the season with a victory at MEO Pro Portugal and final runner-up finishes at the J-Bay Open and Quicksilver Pro France. The final event of the year was at the Pipe Masters, where Ítalo contested the title with his compatriot Gabriel Medina in the finals, eventually winning the event.[1] On July, 27th, 2021, Ferreira won the first men's Olympic surfing gold medal in the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics.[3] On 4 August 2023, Ferreira became the first Brazilian born surfer to be inducted into the Surfers' Hall of Fame.[4][5]
Victories
edit| WCT Wins | |||
| Year | Event | Venue | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | VIVO Rio Pro | Saquarema, Rio de Janeiro |  Brazil
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| 2024 | SHISEIDO Tahiti Pro | Teahupo'o, Tahiti |  French Polynesia
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| 2021 | Rip Curl Newcastle Cup presented by Corona | Newcastle, NSW |  Australia
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| 2019 | Billabong Pipe Masters | Banzai Pipeline, Oahu |  Hawaii
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| 2019 | MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal | Supertubos, Peniche |  Portugal
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| 2019 | Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast | Gold Coast, Queensland | Australia
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| 2018 | MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal | Supertubos, Peniche | Portugal
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| 2018 | Corona Bali Protected | Keramas Beach, Bali |  Indonesia
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| 2018 | Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach | Bells Beach, Victoria | Australia
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| WQS Wins | |||
| Year | Event | Venue | Country |
| Juniors Wins | |||
| Year | Event | Venue | Country |
| 2011 | Quiksilver Pro Junior | Rio de Janeiro | Brazil
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| 2011 | Mormaii Pro Junior | Garopaba | Brazil
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WSL World Championship Tour
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d "Italo Ferreira". Red Bull. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Italo Ferreira Surfer Bio - Men's Championship Tour Event Results". World Surf League. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
- ^ John, Branch (27 July 2021). "Carissa Moore and Italo Ferreira Win the First Olympic Gold Medals in Surfing". New York Times. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
- ^ "Decorated trio enters Surfers' Hall of Fame in Huntington Beach". Daily Pilot. 5 August 2023. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
- ^ Eckardt, Jade (4 August 2023). "Surfers' Hall Of Fame 2023 Induction Ceremony". Surfer. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
- ^ "WSL to Complete Canceled Margaret River Event at Uluwatu". Surfer.com. 10 May 2018.
External links
edit- Italo Ferreira at the World Surf League
- Italo Ferreira at Olympics.com
- Ítalo Ferreira at Olympedia
- Italo Ferreira at the Comitê Olímpico do Brasil (in Portuguese)
