Italo Ferreira Will Not Be Competing At Teahupo'o Post-Knee Injury - Stab Mag

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Moments like this is in sport remind us how many brand deals, dollars, hopes, and, dreams, rest on two thin, fleshy ligaments. Photo: Beatriz Ryder/WSL

Italo Ferreira Will Not Be Competing At Teahupo’o Post-Knee Injury

Here’s the prognosis on a very valuable knee.

news // Jul 21, 2023
Words by Christian Bowcutt
Reading Time: 2 minutes

“He that dares not grasp the thorn,” Anne Brontë wrote, “should never crave the rose.”

The fascinating thing about sports is that for one to excel beyond their peers, one must risk more than them — frequently. All the accolades and spoils of this risk come with the knowledge that it could all go away with one slip of skin on wax-smeared fiberglass.

A few days ago during the Elimination Round of the Corona Open J-Bay Pro 2023, (side note: why are CT competitions ever named “Open” if they are inherently exclusive?) Italo Ferreira was up against Ian Gentil when he went for a down-the-line speed float to get around a section. It was a larger leap than he expected and upon landing his front foot slipped up and he did a sort of impromptu, painful split.

Italo didn’t take any chances — he hopped on a jet ski, got helped up the beach, boarded a getaway car, and headed straight to the hospital on the bumpy South African highway.

Our first update on the situation arrived via Italo’s Instagram.

“So, I had some tests done and they found a bruise in the medial collateral ligament — no signs of tearing ( strong leg 😅 ). I’m returning to Brazil for new exams and to start the physical therapy process. Thanks so much for the kind messages.”

How Italo managed to avoid tearing any of the ligaments in his knee remains a mystery — but we have found the answer to another burning question: will Italo be able to compete at Teahupo’o in three weeks’ time?

Italo’s team confirmed to Stab today that he will not be competing surfing in the last CT of the season. He’ll be taking the time to ensure that his short-term desire to surf Chopes doesn’t trump his long-term career goals.

But, the truth is that it doesn’t really matter for Italo’s competitive year if he competes or not. Sitting at 12th in the rankings after J-Bay, it would be practically impossible for Italo to battle into the Final 5 and have a shot at winning the World Title (Italo would need to win the event and Yago would have to get last place…and John, Gab, and Jack would have to do very poorly for Italo to have a chance of qualifying for Lowers).

On the bright side, Italo expects to be healed up and ready to surf by late August.

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