Air apparent claims Red Bull victory
BRAZIL’S Italo Ferreira has won the Red Bull Airborne Gold Coast.
The 24-year-old is known for his creative antics in the air, landing some of the Championship Tour’s biggest manoeuvres and he brought that flair yesterday to light up Duranbah and take the win over Filipe Toledo and Yago Dora.
“That was an epic final,” Ferreira said.
“To me those (Toledo and Dora) are two of the best guys in the air. I am so happy to take the win. I tried to go big in the first five minutes and I landed the first one. It was so fun.”
To make the final, the Brazilian battled through the 18surfer field for a place in the top six alongside Toledo, Dora, Mateus Herdy, Reef Heazlewood and Mitch Parkinson.
Ferreira landed a frontside air-reverse to earn the specialty event win. Ferreira will now prepare for his next heat in the Quiksilver Pro.
“Two years ago I had a big injury here and hurt my ankle,” he said.
“That was devastating. It was crazy because after two years, I’ve now won an air comp here. I do not know how to explain how crazy that is to me. I am so excited for tomorrow and bringing this to the CT competition.”
The series is a three-part WSL specialty event that now heads to Bali and France.