Gabriel Medina is only two rounds away from being a three-time world champion

Gabriel Medina is just two rounds away from being a three-time world surfing champion. As the leader of the World Tour standings, the Brazilian secures a place in the big decision for the WSL Finals, the final stage of the season.

After seven stages throughout 2020-21, the WSL Finals will bring together the top five standings in Lower Trestles, USA. It will be only one day of competition between September 9-17, in one day with the best wave conditions.

Medina is guaranteed to be at the top of the rankings. The other four seeded are Brazil’s Italo Ferreira, the current track and gold champion in Tokyo 2020, Felipe Toledo, American Conner Coffin and Australia’s Morgan Sebelic. The final surfers ranking will become official at the end of the Mexico stage, which has a chance to finish today.

The format of the WSL Finals is as follows: in the singles qualifiers, fifth-placed faces fourth in the first round; Whoever wins takes third place in the next stage; The new winner faces the Vice Leader Ranking.

In the Grand Final, the remaining surfer will face the ranking leader, in this case Gabriel Medina, in the best of three rounds. In other words, Medina needs to win two qualifying rounds to win a new world title – he was a champion in 2014 and 2018.