(Teahupo’o) Surfing magician Gabriel Medina, triple world champion, won the bronze medal at the Olympic Games in Teahupo’o (Tahiti) on Monday, where he was announced as the big favorite.
Beaten in the semi-final by the Australian Jack Robinson after taking only one wave during his series, the Brazilian (1554 points) was more creative during the match for bronze against the surprise of the men’s draw, the Peruvian Alonso Correa (1243).
In rather modest conditions for the “Jaw of Hava’e”, the two men took beautiful waves throughout the series during a tight duel, but the Brazilian chose his rollers a little better in the last 20 minutes.
PHOTO CARLOS BARRIA, REUTERS
Peruvian Alonso Correa
In surfing’s first appearance at the Olympics in Tokyo, Medina finished just off the podium after a defeat to Australian Owen Wright. A three-time world champion, the Brazilian is considered one of the greatest surfers of all time.
A photo of this close friend of footballer Neymar, who has 14 million followers on Instagram, taken by an AFP photographer a week ago on the Tahitian spot, was one of the most striking images of the Paris Games.
In the photo, we can admire the Brazilian surfer in a three-quarter face view rising above the waves, pointing his index finger towards the sky, with his surfboard vertically behind his back.