INTERNATIONAL: Tokyo 2020 saw surfing being included as an event for the very first time. Its first ever gold medallist was Brazil’s Italo Ferreira, and his win is clearly inspiring a whole new generation of surfers in his hometown.
They were already into surfing in the northeastern Brazilian town of Baia Formosa, but ever since Italo Ferreria claimed surfing’s very first Olympic gold, they’ve gone surf-crazy. Talent scouts are already looking for Brazil’s next Gold Surfer and 12-year-old Maria Clara Dornelas has caught their eye. She’s been winning local surfing competitions for years already, but now has her sights set on Olympic glory.
With thousands of kilometres of coastline, surfing is hugely popular in Brazil. The world’s top three surfers in the men's league are all Brazilian and one of the top five women is too. They say Italo Ferreira’s success in Tokyo has brought new respectability to a sport most people regarded as just a great thing to do at the beach.
