Surf Cat

Perhaps it’s the language barrier, perhaps it’s a relative shyness – or modesty? – but Italo Ferreira has remained somewhat of an enigma for non-Brazilian surf fans.

As the reigning World Champion, his surfing is familiar enough. He’s the electric goofyfooter with an untouchable above-the-lip arsenal, he’s the smiling face in post-heat interviews hiding behind mirrored sunglasses, he’s the perpetually “stoke-ed” Brazilian with a infectiously childlike demeanor, nearly the antithesis to his take-no-prisoners compatriot and Olympics teammate, Gabriel Medina.

But what’s Italo like as a person? What’s going on in that frosted-tipped head of his?

Well, in between surf sessions in Huntington Beach (he paddled out twice…before noon…in trunks…in March), Italo stopped by Surfline HQ to meet with Kevin Wallis of the forecast team, shoot some photos, speculate about the waves at the upcoming Olympics in Japan, and sit down for a quick interview. Here’s what we talked about.

No wetsuit, no problem. Italo lights his own fire in HB. Photo: Jeremiah Klein

Surfline: Fresh off your maiden World Title, how are you feeling going into the Olympics?

Italo Ferreira: I’ve been just having fun the last couple months. I’m not worrying about things too much. On one hand, I’m super excited to go to the Olympics, but I’m really not thinking about it too much right now. I’m more focused on the tour, which is starting soon. All my focus is on the events in Australia right now.

WATCH LIVE: Shidashita Beach Surf Cam

What’s more important to you, winning another World Title or a Gold Medal?

Can I choose both? [Laughs.] I know I can do both, so why not? Winning gold at the Olympics is one of my main goals right now, but I’m also very focus on defending my title [as World Champ]. This is what I’m training for every single day. I want to do both of them.

Since this is the first year surfing is in the Olympics, would you change anything? Would you rather have it in a wavepool, different qualification process, etc.?

It’s going to be such a new experience for all the surfers, and nobody’s sure what’s going to happen. Regardless, it’s going to be fun. It’s going to be the biggest event that ever happened in surfing with so much global attention. More people are going to see surfing than ever before, and they’re going to see how fun it is. So, I don’t know if I would change anything; I guess we just have to wait and see what happens.

READ MORE: How Much Will a Surfing Gold Medal Cost You

How do you think the non-surfing masses are going to respond to surfing in the Olympics?

Surfing can be pretty hard to understand – like which wave is better, which turn is better – if you’re not a surfer yourself. But one thing that people always ask me about is airs. And I think people will understand that. If they see someone do an air, they’ll get excited. They’ll know that was a good maneuver. And in Japan, it seems like that’s a good wave for airs, so I think you’ll be seeing a lot of guys doing those types of maneuvers. The people watching are going to get a good show.

Looks like you’ve been training a lot lately. Is that something new for you?

After [I won] the World Title, I’ve become more hungry. And this year is such a big year – I’m defending the World Title and going to the Olympics, so I’ve been doing everything I can to make sure I do my best in both. And that means a lot of training.

I really love training hard and weightlifting. It’s been making me so much stronger in my legs, which makes a huge difference with power surfing. It’s funny, everyone is so different [when it comes to training]. You know, guys like Julian [Wilson] and Owen [Wright] have different approaches — not so much weightlifting. I’m following the Nathan Florence [program]. His legs are huge! [Laughs.] But yeah, I’ve been trying to get stronger outside the water so that I can surf stronger.

LEARN MORE: Mechanics of Shidashita, Japan

As competitors and people, how do you and Medina differ? You seem pretty laidback and all about having fun, whereas Medina is all business. That true?

We’re totally different. Gabriel is a competitor more than anything. I don’t think you need that all the time. You don’t need to be thinking about points and strategy and stuff like that all the time. For me, I just know that I need to go in the water and catch the best wave. That’s all. Or if I can’t catch the best wave, then I need to surf the best on what the ocean gives me. I just try and have fun when I surf — whether I’m freesurfing or in a heat.

Do you like the pressure of being the guy with the biggest target on your back?

Yeah, I like the pressure. It gets me motivated. But the biggest challenge isn’t the other competitors; it’s my mind. Staying focused and staying in a good headspace…that’s the most important thing for me right now. Like last year at Margaret River. I found out we were going to surf The Box and I had never surfed it before. The night before I couldn’t sleep. I got out of bed and just practiced with my board, imagining I was making the drop and pulling in. And hey, it worked! I ended up getting a really good wave. So, for me, if I can imagine it I can do it.

READ MORE: Gathering Forecast Intel at Shidashita, Japan

What’s it going to take to win in Tokyo, and do you feel like the waves suit your surfing?

I grew up surfing waves like that, so that makes it a little easier for me. I know how to surf that type of wave, and I just need to find a good board. It’ll be just like any other contest. Business as usual. I think Brazil has a really good chance of winning some medals – especially if we had Filipe [Toledo] but maybe the next time. But we have Gabriel, Silvana, and Tatiana — that’s a really good team. As for me, I’m not too stressed about it though. I’m going to just surf and enjoy the moment. Because if you’re happy, you can do anything.

Thanks for stopping by, Italo. Photo: Jeremiah Klein