What the United States is doing is incomprehensible.

And on some level, it's also Australia's case; it will be very difficult for Brazil not to win that extra slot in this World Cup in Puerto Rico.


February 26
|EN News
|POR Pablo Zanocchi

It's eye-watering how little importance the United States gives to Olympic surfing. It's really something worth investigating to find answers, because it can't be... How much does an extra Olympic slot matter? How much is it worth to get six out of 24 surfers to Paris 2024?

Brazil seems to have understood this well this time around. Maybe not so well in 2022, when they competed with a mid-table team, but now they came armed to the teeth.

Team USA in the absence of Griffin Colapinto due to his hip (read more here), instead of going further down the CT table and coming with Ian Gentil, Seth Moniz, Nat Young, Jake Marshall, Kolohe Andino or Zeke Lau, he substituted with Tyler Gunter who is a mid-board QS surfer; he barely had any participation in the challenger series.

And, of course, I have nothing against him, the goofy footer from Newport Beach could end up winning this championship, you never know, but the numbers don't lie and it was always going to be more likely that those mentioned would do better.

Review: The men's team that scores the most points, that is, the one that gets its three surfers to go the furthest, gets one more surfer to qualify for Paris 2024.

Japan has already achieved this by winning in Huntington Beach 2022… In front of the Americans, they took the prize; How could the Americans not learn their lesson and come armed to the teeth?

Griffin left, OK, so? I'm bringing a strong one like the ones mentioned above. Look at Brazil… Chumbinho left and brought Yago Dora.

With Australia, something similar but less exaggerated happens: Ryan Callinan did not come, Liam O'Brien did not come, nor did Callum Robson, but at least they brought a member of the 2021 WSL finals like Morgan Cibilic who is also well ranked in the CS.

Anyway. It's just a topic that draws attention and that ultimately leaves Brazil with one foot and a half in the three men's slots. The green and yellow are on steroids, in addition to bringing an A team, they have the fight between Medina and Yago hot... The bets pay little for Brazil because it is most likely that their men's team will win.

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