“I want to be world champion again. It is one of my greatest wishes and consequently, with that, one qualifies for the Olympics again,” declared Italo Ferreira in his Conmebol Talk that took place in Sao Paulo, where the Brazilian is before embarking for Montevideo where the final of the Libertadores will be played.

The Brazilian added that he expects to compete until he is approximately 38 years old, and that way he will win more titles if his “health allows it,” he said. He added: “With my will I will last a long time,” he added.

In a conversation with two Brazilian hosts, one of them located in Sao Paulo and the other in Montevideo, Italo reviewed what happened with his father, who was very nervous and had to get off the plane. “My father is more nervous than the players,” he laughed, explaining that he then reset his schedule to be able to travel today and arrive in Montevideo tomorrow.

He then explained that his victory in Tokyo was all about staying calm and relaxed when surfing, focusing on doing what he likes. He said that it was a thrill because he looked at the results and saw that there were still no Brazilian gold medals and that his was the first. The pressure was great but he knew how to handle that “great responsibility.”

“It was one of the few championships where I didn’t feel anxious or nervous,” he said.

He also said that it was strange how his board broke when the series started, that it was the perfect time for it to happen because the sea had grown and that put him with a more suitable board at the ideal time.

They laughed when they recalled that upon his arrival in Baia Formosa after winning the gold medal, his hometown, before serving the people, he went surfing.

He explained that it was not easy to see Medina lose and that he would have liked the final to be with him, which he believed would be with him.

When asked what Italo does when he’s not surfing, he jokingly replied: “He surfs.”

And if I wasn't a surfer, I would be a fisherman, since there isn't much else to do in Baia Formosa.

Other key points from the interview:
-He said that he was a troubled child but that the place where he grew up allowed him to be free, go to the beach and spend his energy in a healthy way. “It is the best place in the world,” stressing that he travels all over the world but always loves to return home.

-He has to take photos every day, but he still manages to be himself.

-If I had to take a player surfing, I would take Gabi Gol.

-He has been a Flamengo fan since he was a child, his father gave him a fake shirt and the first original one he ever had was given to him yesterday, he laughed.

-Asked about who scored the goals: Gabi Gol and the Uruguayan De Arrascaeta and that the match ends 2-0.

-On YouTube, the audience did not exceed 22 people watching at the same time. Very low for a channel with more than half a million subscribers.

-The key to becoming a champion: Willpower and leaving the comfort zone. In 2019, he did just that and it was the key to winning.

-He talked about his strength and how lifting a lot of weight and being strong was key to winning championships and surfing better. He says that before people called him crazy for that.

-Trap is his favorite music and it's what he listens to the most, at home and in competitions.

-He was asked about his love life: “I always had a girlfriend. Now I am single and I am making the most of it without getting too distracted. I was consumed by the other stuff: Now it is 100% Italian… Now I have parents and friends that I love very much. You have to take advantage, it goes by quickly.”

-He said he was surprised when a young woman from Transylvania recognised him on one of his trips. He also said that in Senegal a group of fishermen stopped and recognised him.

-The person he would ask for a photo: Cristiano Ronaldo.

-His favorite food: Couscous with egg.

-She likes women's surfing: “Carissa can beat all the other surfers on the world tour,” she said.

-What sets me apart: I'm very radical. I like to push the limits, I'm better at free surfing, I'm better at competition.

-He changed his way of surfing: From doing long sessions to 40, 50 minutes or a maximum of one hour. He does several short sessions and that helps him in the championships. He focuses his energy. He managed to surf 62 waves in one hour.

-Nazaré was where he was most afraid in his life. “We are going to push you into a wave but you cannot fall because the sea is so big,” they told him.

-I had never been to a football stadium until last year and Saturday will be the first time I see Flamengo live.