Italo Ferreira is the current leader of the WSL world surfing rankings. Wearing the yellow jersey from the last stop in Teahupo'o, he is preparing for the Fiji event. Over the past week, the surfer was at Red Bull's Athlete Performance Center (APC) in California, undergoing functional training focused on high-performance surfing. Recovered from a lower back injury, Italo shares that his work has been step-by-step, focusing on one challenge at a time.
Here is the interview with Italo Ferreira, conducted on Thursday, August 20, 2026:
1. How was this functional training at Red Bull's APC in California? Yesterday (20th) we wrapped up training here at the Red Bull APC. I had to give up on going to Fiji early to take care of the injury I suffered in Tahiti. There, I had to compete in a lot of pain. Today, thank God, I’ve seen a huge improvement compared to what I was feeling in Tahiti. It’s almost a 100% improvement and recovery in performance during training. An athlete’s life isn't easy; it's always full of challenges, and in my case, they are always right in front of me. It's like a hurdle to jump, and that actually motivates me. So, this was a time for me to recover, prepare, reset my mind, and go all out for the next event.
2. What stands out about your recovery at this point in the season? Fiji is a wave that demands a bit more from you than Tahiti. In Tahiti, you just get barrelled and kick out, so it’s much more straightforward and easier. In Fiji, you have a longer wave that offers room for maneuvers and barrels, requiring much more lower back rotation and bending, putting more tension on that area. So, I worked hard over the last few days around that, building strength to prepare for Fiji. I think I feel good right now. I'll know for sure after my next sessions in the water; I haven't been surfing, choosing to hold back and save energy so I can really perform when it counts. I’m flying out to Fiji today with a very positive mindset that this was a great training block at Red Bull, and I'll be ready for the next challenge.
3. How do you evaluate your performance heading into these final events before the end of the regular season and the start of the post-season? I’m taking it step-by-step, living in the moment. Right now, the focus is to go to Fiji and get my best possible result—going out there, surfing, making the most of every opportunity, and securing a solid result to stay at the top of the rankings. It’s been very challenging this year, with surfers who had never won before taking out events. That keeps you sharper regarding who is actually performing at a given contest, because anyone can be a big threat or win the event. Everyone is at a high level, which gives me even more motivation and energy to get in the water and really surf.
4. What changes for this event now that you are wearing the yellow jersey? The coveted yellow jersey. It’s very important, but ever since I left Tahiti, my sole focus was recovering from my back injury. That was my biggest goal. Taking things step-by-step gives me peace of mind, knowing that when I have to channel all my energy into the water, I will make it happen to keep fighting for the top spot in the rankings and stay committed to my goal.
