Interview: Why 2x World Champion Filipe Toledo Is Betting On Himself In 2024
For the last two years, nobody on the Championship Tour has been able to keep pace with Filipe Toledo. And with the WSL Finals returning to Lower Trestles this September, all of his fellow competitors and rivals are once again going to have a hell of time keeping pace.
Last week, Sports Illustrated's FanNation caught up with Toledo to talk about his offseason, preparations for 2024, the Olympics in Tahiti this July, and who's surfing has him the most concerned. We'll be dropping more soundbites from the conversation over the next few days, but breaking down his rivals seemed like a good place to start.
"I don't take anyone away from being a threat and being someone that can win an event on tour," Toledo explained. "It they're here today they have the talent."
Not one to name names, Toledo notes that there's a whole crew of young, hungry rookies coming on tour that will be bringing fresh energy. And while he hails from Brazil, Toledo resides in San Clemente, California, home of Lower Trestles, world number three Griffin Colapinto, as well as three young rookie's on the men's tour in Cole Houshmand, Kade Matson and Crosby Colapinto. Collectively, they've quietly been keeping an eye on each other in the water and around town, adding an interesting local rivalry to the equation.
But at the end of the day, Toledo's been on tour for over a decade and knows that he's only in control of his performances and his surfing.
"I'm really focused on my game, how I can improve my strategy and my game and my surfing," he says. "I'm just trying to be a better version every year."
Interview: Carissa Moore On Her Decision To Stop Competing And 2024 Plans
With more than 25 years of writing about surfing, the ocean and action sports, Jake Howard continues to share stories, profiles and issues that shape the surfing world. One of the premier subject-matter experts in the field today, he's savvy in the ways of print, digital and social media, his breadth of work is expansive. Getting his start writing Surfline surf reports and recording the phone reports for 976-SURF in the late '90s, Jake served as the managing editor for Surfer Magazine in the early 2000s before moving on to launch RedBullSurfing.com and cover surfing for ESPN and the X Games. Over the years, Jake has also enjoyed time behind the edit desk at The Surfer's Journal, as well as the World Surf League, where he worked as the Senior Editor for a number of years. Beyond producing editorial content, Jake has served as a digital marketer and copywriter for iconic surf brands such as Quiksilver, Roxy and Rip Curl. Writing thousands of pages of copy for Surfline, he has deep SEO experience as well. The surf columnist for the San Clemente Times, Jake continues to dedicate himself to the culture and history of the sport through his involvement with the Surfing Heritage and Culture Center in San Clemente.