Stab Magazine | Did Filipe Toledo Land The Biggest Leap In CT History Yesterday?

Live Now: Chapter 11 Mini-Documentary With Dane Reynolds

924 Views

Did Filipe Toledo Land The Biggest Leap In CT History Yesterday?

Let’s consult the airs we’ve previously hyperbolized!

news // May 18, 2018
Words by stab
Reading Time: 2 minutes

With three minutes remaining in his Round 4 heat at the 2018 Oi Rio Pro, and already holding an insurmountable lead against his competitors Michael Rodrigues and Ian Gouveia, Filipe Toledo had nothing to lose, but more importantly nothing to gain, when throwing his border-crossing backside punt.

Doing an air at mach speed off that kind of section is a recipe for disaster. A broken board would be a minor inconvenience for the flying Brazilian, but busted knees or ankles could put him out of commission for the rest of the season, if not endanger his entire career.

But Filipe wasn’t thinking about any of that as he slithered down the line at Praia de Itaúna, eying down a section that took forever to arrive but made up for it with an explosive pop. 

Filipe launched off the lip with a gymnast’s precision, staying perfectly centered atop his board, the Fu Wax gripping his feet like a vice. Filipe spotted his landing all the way down, and despite connecting with the flats seemed to suffer little impact from the three-meter drop. All said, he covered about 20 feet of lateral territory in the flight.

In the commentary booth, Chris Cote and Martin Potter were joined by Brazilian CTer Jesse Mendes to discuss the spin. And while they all noted their admiration for the leap, even calling it a 10 before the official number was dropped, there was a notable lack of astonishment that Filipe had done what he just did.

“Always a shock to see an air that big,” said Cote. “But when it’s Filipe Toledo, no surprise.”

“No surprise,” Potter parroted.

Keep in mind that Filipe isn’t necessarily practicing these all the time, either. 

Before the Founders’ Cup began, I asked Filipe why he hadn’t tried any airs in his practice runs like many of his competitors.

“Well, that’s kind of the difference between me and some of the other surfers,” Filipe said. “I have complete confidence in myself to go out and land those airs in the competition, pretty much every time.”

He then proceeded to nail two airs on one wave, garnering him the only 10-point ride of the event.

Filipe’s talent knows no bounds. His ability to maintain control of his craft throughout the most outrageous maneuvers is what made his most recent air seem like a foregone conclusion. But if we’re being objective about this, yesterday’s punt might just have been the best ever in CT competition.

Let’s look at a few other airs that could maybe rival it.

The WSL was kind enough to compile ~10 of them here.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/FYVFkPtCrUU

Included: Medina in France, Slater in Bells and New York, John at Keramas, Julian at Portugal and J-Bay, and Filipe at Lowers, Brazil, and Brazil

Then from 2016/17, we have the following:

Italo Ferreira, Rip Curl Pro Portugal, 2016

https://www.youtube.com/embed/WHTDIa7kHQs

John Florence, Rip Curl Pro Bells, 2017

https://www.youtube.com/embed/r0X7nkVMGUI

Italo Ferreira, Quik Pro Snapper, 2017

https://www.youtube.com/embed/GNb5ULNLebo

Filipe Toledo, Quik Pro France, 2016 (skip to 1:51)

https://www.youtube.com/embed/PIqgNENq9aQ

Gabriel Medina, Oi Rio Pro, 2016

https://www.youtube.com/embed/wPC6T8Yvils

And just as a reminder…

Filipe Toledo, Oi Rio Pro, 2018

https://www.youtube.com/embed/_eZxYoh-DBU?enablejsapi=1

And after watching all of these, what do you think? Is it even close?

Comments

Comments are a Stab Premium feature. Gotta join to talk shop.

Already a member? Sign In

Want to join? Sign Up

Advertisement

Most Recent

Pittar’d And Feathered

Do the WSL judges deserve the internet's wrath? We asked the man of the hour.

Mar 28, 2024

Robbo, Pickles, And Tyler Wright Become The Underdogs Breakfast At Uninspiring Winkipop

The foreboding blade sharpens and inconsistent judging prevails on Day Two in Torquay.

Mar 27, 2024

“I Don’t Always Win Heats, But When I Do, I Try To Beat John John”

Slater shines and the axe begins its descent on Day 01 at Bells.

Mar 26, 2024

Back Against The Wall: The Ramzi Boukhiam Redemption

Morocco's first CT surfer on speaking six languages, having no coach, and snatching Fil Toledo's…

Mar 25, 2024

Will Kirra, Babies or JJF Stop a GOAT Winning at Bells?

Bluesky BOAG advice from a Superman specialist and former Trials winner.

Mar 25, 2024

Bells Preview: The WSL’s Victorian Sword Dancing Equinox Ritual

Will a Brazilian crack the Top 10 at Bells?

Mar 25, 2024

69 Shin Bones Later + the Anticlimactic State of Big Wave Record-Breaking

Lucas Chumbo might have surfed the biggest wave ever this year. But how will we…

Mar 23, 2024

Watch: ‘Fresh and Fried’ Ft the Quik Kids

How taxing is it to tackle the Gold Coast’s Triple Crown in a single day,…

Mar 23, 2024

The Popular Vote: The People’s Stab In The Dark With Kolohe Andino Champion

Which board looked best — to you —under Kolohe's talons?

Mar 22, 2024

João Chianca Opens Up About His Brain Injury, Rehabilitation, And Targeted Return To Competition  

"I don't just want to be the same surfer that I was. I don't even…

Mar 21, 2024

Six Key Learnings From Portugal

Three CT events in, what do we know? 

Mar 21, 2024

‘Zipper’ Is Going On Tour, Here’s Where You Can Watch It  

Dates, times + locations for the Venice, Encinitas, Sydney + Byron premieres.  

Mar 20, 2024

Dane Reynolds On His Future, His Past, And Chapter 11’s Raison D’être

Our 9-minute plunge into the collective psyche of Ventura's pillar(s).

Mar 20, 2024

From ‘Blue Ribbon Cross Country Runner’ to Vogue – How Steph Again Is Back With A Rip Curl Remix

Everything we know about the she-GOATs sponsorship boomerang.

Mar 18, 2024

Stab Interview: Darren Handley Explains Why You Can’t Buy The Winning Stab In The Dark Model

And his decades-long standoff with Slater.

Mar 17, 2024

Griff Embraces Portugal’s Eternal Time Loop To Vanquish Medina + Ewing, Defay Delays The Inevitable

A redeeming closing act at Supertubos.

Mar 16, 2024

The Secret Behind Lungi Slabb’s Inconceivable Greenmount Funnel

Six broken boards, one leaking forehead, and five days of Superbank mysticism.

Mar 16, 2024

Cheat Codes: A Million Miles Worth Of Travel Advice From Coco Ho

Hard-earned wisdom from more than 2,000 hours in the troposphere.

Mar 15, 2024
Advertisement