The Medina Mindset

Talented, calculating, passionate if there's one surfer that can polarise opinion in the blink of an eye it's gabe medina. Mimi lamontagne gets inside the head of the boy from Brazil 

- Mimi Lamontagne

It’s May 8, 2017. I’m standing on a back patio in the tiny town of Maresias, Brazil. The sun is setting, and as I sip on my cold Ambev Skol, condensation dripping down the translucent blue bottle, some of the most mouth-watering scents I’ve ever had the pleasure of sniffing waft towards me. The chef, whose name I can’t remember, is talking loudly in Portuguese with the six or so young men sitting in lawn chairs around the island kitchen area. A middle-aged and extremely well dressed woman comes up to him and wags her finger as he hands her a slice of seared picanha. She kisses him on the cheek and heads back inside to her youngest daughter, who is calling her for help inside.

The chef looks at me. “You’re not from here, are you?” “No,” I say. “And you, haven’t had a Brazilian BBQ before?” “No.” “Well then, you’re in for a treat.”

Of the six guys sitting around the barbecue, five are Gabriel Medina’s family – cousins and brothers. The other is Favon, one of the larger humans I’ve seen in this world. For lack of a better phrase, he’s a big teddy bear – incredibly sweet with a loud yet friendly voice, completely kooky with oversized black-rimmed glasses, and always ready to give you a high five. Or a hug, if you dare.

Favon is Gabriel Medina’s “bodyguard”. And I put bodyguard in air quotes because, although Favi is employed to protect Gabby, he’s basically just his good mate. When I asked Gabriel, he acted surprised I called him that. “Favon? Favi? I’ve known him since I was a little kid. Yeah, a long time. He’s pretty much my good friend, but when it gets really busy, he kind of works a little bit. He lives near me in Maresias and he’s always with me on the road. It’s nice.”