Leo/Ryan Exact Their Revenge

“To have a comeback, you have to have a setback” the illustrious Mr. T pointed out. 

Today, with their performances at the 2022 EDP Vissla Pro Ericeira in Portugal, both Leonardo Fioravanti and Ryan Callinan have re-qualified for next year’s Championship Tour. After falling off tour earlier this year after the notorious and fiercely debated “mid-year cut”, both surfers have clawed their way back to surfing’s biggest stage with stellar performances on the Challenger Series. 

Leo and Ryan are proving that getting sent back down to surfing’s “minor league” is not always a death sentence. Even baseball god Mickey Mantle was sent down to triple-A after a poor rookie year performance–– later becoming one of the sporting world’s biggest superheroes. 

In fact, the purgatory of the Challenger Series might be a blessing in disguise. Leo, who won the event today, along with Macy Callaghan on the women’s side (full story to come), was productive during his time away from competition, releasing his aptly named SEOTY entry “The Cut” just a few weeks ago. The Italian Stallion knows how to turn lemons into lemonade. 

Leo and Ryan found themselves in the final together today in the always-tricky and dare I say, bouncy, Ribeira D’ilhas conditions. It was their 4th career matchup. Leo took a decisive victory over Ryan with two 8’s in the first half of the heat. It was Leo’s day, indeed, but with both surfers qualifying for the “Dream Tour”, Ryan has plenty to celebrate. 

While we all wait for Leo and Ryan’s second chance at the CT in January at Pipeline, let’s take a look back at Leo’s SEOTY edit “The Cut”, which is now unlocked for all the world to see.