Brazil has six surfers in round of 16

Filipe Toledo was the last Brazilian to qualify for the last 16 of the Olympic surfing tournament, held on Teahupo’o beach in Tahiti. In the Sunday evening final (Jul. 28), he won the repechage heat against New Zealander Billy Stairmand by 17.00 to 14.00, with 9.67 as his best score.

The round of 16 matches in Olympic surfing are scheduled to start on Monday afternoon (29). Toledo faces Japan’s Reo Inaba in the second heat of this stage.

Heat number five will see three-time world champion Gabriel Medina take on Japan’s Kanoa Igarashi. At the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Medina and Igarashi clashed in the semi-finals, with the Japanese athlete winning and going on to become an Olympic silver medalist.

The sixth heat of the round of 16 at Teahupo’o will feature the duel between João Chianca—or Chumbinho—and Moroccan Ramzi Boukhiam. If they advance, Medina and Chumbinho will meet in the quarter finals.

Women’s competition

In the women’s tournament, the round of 16 is scheduled for early Monday evening, also Brasilia time. Tatiana Weston-Webb will contest the sixth heat against American Caitlin Simmers, the current leader in the world surfing championship.

In the seventh heat, Brazilians Tainá Hinckel and Luana Silva will face each other for a place in the quarter finals.

According to the Olympic surfing schedule, the competitions should end Tuesday (30), with the quarter finals, semi-finals, and finals. If the sea or weather conditions are not favorable, the competition window will remain open until August 5.