Sawyer Lindblad (USA) and Yago Dora (BRA) claimed wins at Round 6 of the World Surf League’s Championship Tour, the VIVO Rio Pro Presented By Corona Cero, while Itay’s Leonardo Fioravanti left Brazil ranked world No.1 for the very first time in his career. Here is all you need to know:
– Reigning world champion Dora added scored a second Rio Pro victory and his fourth total CT win over Fioravanti in the men’s final on the waves at Saquarema. The 30-year-old’s high-flying antics and searing rail work through the event garnered five of the top six scores, including an event-best 8.50 (out of a possible 10).
– Fioravanti’s quick start in the final was supplanted by Dora’s aerial masterclass, soaring a backhand full rotation in the shifting conditions to that 8.50 before finding a 6.50 back-up on another backhand air-reverse to push Fiorvanti’s requirement to 9.33.
– “I knew Leo [Fioravanti] would get a big advantage if he got the win, so it was really important to win this one and get a little closer to him. The goal is No. 1 and I’m working really hard to get it again,” said the local hero, who now sits second in the rankings.
– Italian Fioravanti, who was surfing in Saquarema following a first-ever CT win at the Surf City El Salvador Pro, wasn’t able to score a second successive victory, as his last opportunity fell short of the requirement on his last attempt. However, Fioravanti walked away with another career first.
– His semi-final win over Saquarema’s own JoĂŁo Chianca (BRA) pushed him to No. 1 in the rankings for the first time in his career. Now, Fioravanti, 28, prepares for his first proper world title run with six events remaining in the 2026 CT season.
– “We dream our whole lives to be in these places and fight for finals against the best in the world. I’m very proud of my performances in the last two events. I got my first win and then I came to Brazil with not many expectations, even though I knew I could do well here. I had so many heats against some of the best Brazilians and this is the best part of this event, because they have the best support and you get to compete in that environment,” said the 28 year old.
– The women’s contest saw 20-year-old Sawyer Lindblad (USA) score her maiden victory at the VIVO Rio Pro in her fourth-career CT final, after finishing runner-up at this event in 2024. Lindblad’s journey to the final matchup against youngest-ever CT qualifier, 15 year old Tya Zebrowski (FRA), included a massive win over home favourite Luana Silva (BRA) in the quarter-finals and 2023 world champion Caroline Marks (USA).
– Now, Lindblad, sits at No. 4 in the overall CT rankings where five-time world champion and back-to-back winner in New Zealand and El Salvador, Hawaii’s Carissa Moore, sits in second place behind leader and compatriot Gabriela Bryan after being eliminated in the quarter-finals by Zebrowski.
– After the LATAM leg of the Championship Tour, the competitors now get a summer break to recharge before the second half of the season fires into life at the Outerknown Tahiti Pro at TeahupoĘ»o from August 8–18.
