Gabriel Medina [2023 Update]: Net Worth & Controversy - Players Bio (2023)

The handsome, dark-haired goofy-footer is regarded as a national hero in Brazil, thanks to the World Titles he brought to the excellent surfing nation in 2014 and 2018.

After an incredible triumph at Pipeline for his second title, Medina’s rowdy homecoming to So Paulo made national news.

In addition, he still has a hard time going anyplace in Brazil without being recognized.

Moreover, Medina’s popularity showed no signs of fading due to his selection for the Tokyo Olympic Games.

Gabriel won his first title at 11, while he drew international attention after placing second in the under-14 Volcom in California.

Let’s cover more about the South American surfing superstar who has created a significant impact on the city of Sao Paulo in the field of surfing on his own.

Before getting into details, we will first look at the quick facts about him.

Gabriel Medina: Quick Facts

Who is Gabriel Medina?

Gabriel Medina Pinto Ferreira (born December 22, 1993) is a competitive surfer from Brazil who has won the 2014, 2018, and 2021 World Championships. Medina joined the World Surf League Tour’s elite in 2011.

Moreover, at the age of 17, he finished in the top 12 of the ASP (now WSL) World Tour in his first year. In addition, he won the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast in March 2014.

According to media reports, he is the second person to have executed a maneuver called the “Backflip.”

Medina also made history by becoming the first player to land this technique in a tournament.

Early Life & Childhood

The son of Simone Pinto Medina and Claudio de Jesus Ferreira, Gabriel was born in So Sebastio, So Paulo, and raised in the Maresias neighborhood of the city.

Gabriel began surfing when he was nine years old. Moreover, at eleven, he won his first national title, the Rip Curl Grom Search in the category Sub-12, held at Buzios, Rio de Janeiro.

Medina won numerous Brazilian amateur competitions, including the Volcom Sub-14, Quicksilver King of Groms, and Rip Curl Grom Search, as well as three state titles.

He finished second in the Volcom Internacional Sub-14 Championship in California and vice-champion in the Amateur World Sub-16 Championship in Ecuador. Medina was already a finalist in the Paulista Championship at 14 years old.

In addition, he won the Paulista Junior Championship. He competed in the World Qualifying Series (WQS) 6-star event Onbongo Pro Surfing 2008 in Ubatuba, where he defeated his idol Adriano de Souza, nicknamed Mineirinho.

Gabriele Medina: Height & Weight

Gabriele Medina stands at the height of 6 feet. Likewise, he weighs 170 pounds (77 kg) (1.85 meters).

Moreover, he leads a healthy lifestyle as he does not smoke or drink.

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Early Career

In his early teens, he won plenty of amateur competitions, including Rip Curl’s Grom Search, Quiksilver’s King of the Groms, and multiple state titles. All thanks to his explosive range of above-the-lip techniques.

Medina, then 15, became the youngest surfer ever to win a major Qualifying Series event in 2009.

Medina, who was 17, qualified for the Championship Tour (together with John John Florence) in mid-2011. He then soon made a name for himself with his high-flying acrobatic technique.

He won his first event as a CT member, and he replicated the feat two more times. His massive effect on the international stage fueled the emergence of the Brazilian Storm.

Professional Career

After a series of average results, Medina won the Quiksilver Pro France in 2015, his sixth WCT event triumph and his second in Hossegor, France.

Medina made history once again after defeating Mick Fanning and reaching the finals of the Billabong Pipe Masters in Hawaii for the second year in a row. Gabriel became the first Brazilian to win the Hawaiian Triple Crown of Surfing.

He created history again on May 14, 2016, when he became the first surfer to land the move “Backflip” in a competition at the Oi Rio Pro.

Medina received a perfect ten from all five judges, defeating fellow countryman Alex Ribeiro in a second-round elimination heat. Moreover, he went on to finish third in the competition.

Medina won his seventh WCT event, his second in Cloudbreak, on June 17, 2016, in the Fiji Islands. At the age of 22, he became the most successful Brazilian surfer in the history of CT.

He made history in 2017 as one of two first-ever surfers to win a competition in a man-made wave pool at Kelly Slater‘s Surf Ranch in Lemoore, California.

Along with the 2019 WCT Champion Italo Ferreira, the Brazilian surfer was also chosen to represent his country at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. He finished fourth in the Olympics, narrowly losing the bronze medal match to Australia’s Owen Wright.

Controversy at Pipe Masters

With the men’s championship on the line at the Billabong Pipe Masters in Hawaii, Brazilian surfer Gabriel Medina pulled off one of surfing’s most controversial maneuvers to keep his title hopes alive.

Medina dropped in on fellow Brazilian Caio Ibelli’s wave when Ibelli had priority. Medina’s drop-in prevented Ibelli from surfing a wave that could have given him the heat’s highest score.

Medina prioritized Ibelli in the final minutes of the heat as a wave with good scoring potential arose.

It could have been Ibelli’s best ride, but Medina jumped in on it, recognizing that even one excellent ride from Ibelli would eliminate him from world title contention.

Medina’s drop-in may have been a tactically brilliant move because he knew he’d still win the heat even with the penalty, but it’s still poor form and sportsmanship.

Moreover, Medina stated he simply exploited the rule book to his advantage in his post-surf interview.

Gabriel Medina: Surfboards

Being a professional surfer, it is only obvious thing for Medina to do. Since 2008, Medina has worked with Johnny Cabianca, his shaper.

Johnny Cabianca, a Brazilian surfer who lives in the Basque Country, is one of the most well-known surfboard shapers in the world.

Medina uses approximately 100 surfboards per year. Cabianca, who formerly shaped Pukas in Spain, launched his label in 2015.

The Quiksilver Pro France 2015 was Medina’s first victory on a Cabianca Surfboard.

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Medina, unfortunately, became embroiled in the family rivalry after marrying Yasmin.

Furthermore, a report circulated that Gabriel’s mother received $200k from Medina.

Simone Medina, the mother, also blamed Yasmin for the family’s problems. She went on to say that the surfer has grown estranged from his family, including his stepfather and sister.

His younger sister is also embarking on a surfing career.

Similarly, Simone stated that her husband, Charlie Rodrigues, has been coaching Gabriel since the beginning of his career and has not received any compensation.

Gabriel Medina: Net Worth

Gabriel is one of the world’s highest-paid surfers. In 2021, Idol Networth predicts his net worth to be $3.5 million.

The majority of Gabriel’s fortune is accumulated from his professional career as a surfer.

The surfer also makes money through sponsorship and endorsement partnerships. His sponsors are Matt Nabney, Rip Curl, Audi, Guarana Antarctica, Oi, and Samsung Galaxy.

In addition, the surfer has profited handsomely from the reward money. Furthermore, he established the institute with the explicit goal of developing future champions.

In an interview, Gabriel stated that the institute is assisting people in avoiding drugs and encouraging surfing.

The Gabriel Medina Institute

Gabriel Medina and his family founded the Gabriel Medina Institute in January 2017 in Medina’s hometown of Maresias, Brazil, to develop the next generation of powerful competitive Brazilian surfers.

His competition success has motivated countless young Brazilians to invest their blood, sweat, and tears into pursuing their competitive goals of someday being world champions.

In addition, IGM has become the go-to place in Brazil for young surfers.

Gabriel considers IGM to be one of his accomplishments. In addition, he hopes to produce a Brazilian World Champion.

Is Gabriel Medina Married?

At the end of 2020, Gabriel Medina married his girlfriend, Yasmin Brunet, in Hawaii. He also dedicated their love in a brief video on his Instagram.

Furthermore, they married without the presence of family or friends, according to Hawaiian customs.

Yasmin Brunet is an actress and model. They are happy pairs who don’t hesitate to share their joy on social media.

Brunet changed her Instagram handle to Medina’s last name on February 2. Before that, the pair reportedly spent time together in the Maldives and had been dating for approximately a year before deciding to marry.

However, several Brazilian media outlets have reported a disagreement between the couple and Medina’s family, who believe the marriage would harm his surfing career.

Prior to Yasmin, Gabriel Medina had been linked to Anitta (2015), Jessica Gunther (2014), and Tayna Hanada since 2015.

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Social Media Presence

Gabriel is active on several social media platforms. In addition, he is a surfer’s social media influencer.

Moreover, Gabriel is more active on Instagram, where he consistently posts pictures and gives updates about his life.

Instagram: 9.4 million Followers

Facebook: 1.5 million Followers

Twitter: 437k Followers

Also, Brazilian football star Neymaris a close friend to Gabriel. Moreover, Gabriel considers him like an elder brother.

FAQs

Who is Gabriel Medina’s coach?

Gabriel Medina is one of the most accomplished competitive surfers on the planet. He surfs to win, which is a good thing in a competition.

Likewise, Medina recently hired Andy King as his new coach, which he feels is a wise decision.

Is Gabriel Medina regarded as the best surfer in the world?

Medina is one of the world’s top surfers. He is a two-time World Series of Surfing World Champion.

He is also frequently ranked in the top five players in the world.