The 2022 Men’s Championship Tour saw Filipe Toledo finally earn his maiden world title, but he did so in the absence of Gabriel Medina and John John Florence. This year, he won’t have that luxury, though he will nonetheless be a major contender. Those three round out the favourites, but the current quality at the top of the men’s draw is very high, and there are a few extremely talented names nipping at their heels. With the season set to kick off in just a few days, let’s take a look at the major contenders to win the 2023 Men’s Championship Tour.
Gabriel Medina
It’s testament to just how good Medina is that he will enter 2023 as the favourite to win the Championship Tour, despite having been absent for nearly all of last season and finishing the year in 24th. Once he returned last year, though, he quickly quelled any fears about the time off having impacted his surfing, finished third in his first two events. This year, he’s set to return to the tour full-time, and having finished first, second, first, second, third, third and first working backwards from 2021 in his last seven seasons, it’s easy to understand why he is expected to do pretty well this year. The goofy footer is capable of excelling in all conditions; he can go to the air, he can do it on the open face, and he loves big moments, and the prospect of world title number four at season’s end is well and truly on the cards.
John John Florence
For the first time in years, John John appeared to have a clean run at a world title last year, and though he didn’t set the world on fire through the first half of the year he was doing enough to be comfortably settled in the top couple in the world rankings. Unfortunately, injury again came a-knockin, forcing him to miss the last four events and relegating him to 12th place. Alongside Medina, he is the best surfer in the world when fit, but unfortunately fitness has been relatively elusive for him for much of his career. He is still just 30 years old though, and as impressive as two-time world champ sounds, it’s less than what a man of his talent deserves. Injury will likely be his biggest impediment this year, as it has been so often, but if he gets through the season largely unscathed then it’s very possible he’ll be holding aloft his first world crown since 2017 come season’s end.
Filipe Toledo
Ever since he finished third in 2018, Toledo has been rightfully viewed as one of the best surfers in the world. Unlike the two names above him, however, he has notable flaws. On an open face in small to mid-sized waves, he’s as good as anyone, but waves of consequence have typically been where he’s struggled. Last year, however, in their absence, he established himself as the best in the world, and pivotally performed well in a couple of events which wouldn’t have historically been surfed in conditions which suited him, before deservedly ending the year by winning his first ever world title. He now has championship pedigree behind him to complement his undeniable talent, and benefits from the fact that the world title is now decided at Trestles – a right-hander with a long and rippable face, right up his alley. It would be a surprise if he doesn’t finish top five and make it there, and if he does, he will be an extremely tough beat.
Jack Robinson
Unlike the above three names, Jack Robinson hasn’t been a threat on the Championship Tour for long. This year, however, he almost certainly will be. The Margaret River local has long turned heads at his local break, but he didn’t compete in a full year on tour until 2021, when he finished 12th. Last year, he exploded into relevance with a string of good results punctuated by successive wins at first his home break and second Indonesia, finishing the season ranked second in the world. He’ll have to deal with Medina and Florence this year so another top two finish may not be as easy, but he’ll be backing himself to make it to Trestles and is good enough of beating anyone on his day. A world title one day is well within his reach; why not this year?
Italo Ferreira
In the last three seasons, Ferreira hasn’t finished lower than third, but such is the depth at the top of the Championship Tour, he’ll still have to beat multiple more highly credentialled competitors than him if he wants to add a second world title to his trophy cabinet. The stocky Brazilian, however, is more than capable of doing so. Ferreira is a dynamic surfer whose power belies his size, and though he wasn’t at his best last season he found an extra level at Trestles to make his way into the Title Match despite having to beat both Ethan Ewing and Jack Robinson to get there. He might never be seen as in the same league as the likes of Medina and Florence, but Ferreira is a freak, plain and simple, and can’t be ruled out of world title contention.
Griffin Colapinto
The final two surfers on our list are certainly a tier behind the above names, but starting with Griffin Colapinto, each of them can make a leap into the top five and be a tough opponent in the WSL Finals. Colapinto should have made an appearance there last year; wins at both Portugal and El Salvador in the first seven events had him well within the top five, but three consecutive early exits to round out the season saw him drop to seventh. Still just 24, that inconsistency was likely symptomatic of a lack of experience, and having been in a position to challenge before he’ll be better placed to deal with the pressure in 2023.
Ethan Ewing
For a number of years Ethan Ewing’s talent has been notable, with his beautiful, carving style indicative of someone who was one day going to find himself competing at the pointy end of the Championship Tour season. The beginning to his CT career, however, wasn’t much to write home about; he finished 34th in 2017 and then competed in just one event at the top level over the next three seasons. In 2021 he returned an improved surfer, but still finished just 15th. Last year, he finally took the step everyone was waiting for. Three semi-finals in the first five events and an inaugural event win at J-Bay got him to Trestles, and though he couldn’t clock up a heat win in the WSL Finals, he’ll be better for the experience, and at just 24 should improve this year.
The upper echelons of the Men’s Championship Tour is littered with talent, and competition for spots in the top five will be fierce. The top five mentioned above – Medina, Florence, Toledo, Robinson and Ferreira – are the standouts, but Colapinto, Ewing and a few below them are capable of springing a surprise. With Medina and Florence back on the tour together for the first time in over a year, the quality of surfing should be as good as it’s ever been, and kicking off at Pipeline on the 29th of January, it’s set to be a season not to miss.
