2021 Champion Gabriel Medina Could Sit Out Next Year

2021 champion Gabriel Medina could be watching the competition from the beach next year.

The 2021 championship tour was like no other, with quarantine protocols, stops being canceled, and the Tokyo Olympics going on, things got crazy. At the end of all the craziness, Gabriel Medina saw himself standing on top of the rankings. The pressure to be one of the best in the world is something that all champions know. For Medina, he has been a strong silent type and shows his skills in the water. However, now Medina is thinking that a break from competition might do him some good.

“I need to stop thinking about competition for a while, because everything I do today, food, routine… It’s all focused on the competition, so I can be 100% in all disputes,” Medina told Lance.com.br. “I never missed a step. It’s been hard to do this for years. I think the time has come when I need to take a break.”

This year’s championship was the third for Medina who has spent a decade surfing against the toughest competition on the water. Being in a position of having the top spot and giving it up, Medina will take his time making this decision.

Medina will have to make a decision

“This year was difficult, I amended one trip in another, I almost didn’t return home,” Medina said. “It’s been ten years that I have to be at the same level, training, making choices to perform better… It’s very intense, it demands a lot. I want to give myself a break, but it’s something I’ll still stop to think about, leaving it day after day… Let’s see how it goes.”

If he does decide to take the year off, the WSL has stated that he will be awarded a spot on tour when he returns in 2023. In addition, if wanted, Medina could be given a wildcard spot for a location next year.