Changing the subject a bit...
My photog friend Sean Davey told me his "spirit animal" for the contest was Caio Ibelli. Paraphrasing what he said:
Back in the 2019 Pipe Masters
Medina purposely burned Ibelli to ensure a heat win. Fast forward to the Billabong Pipe Pro. Gabriel
withdraws from the contest then the entire season due to personal reasons. Guess who replaced Gabriel?
Caio Ibelli who fell off the tour! Better yet, Ibelli makes it all the way to the semis. Now he is
equal 3rd in the WSL WCT 2022 rankings. Poetic justice.
Sean's spirit animal did well.