Filipe Toledo Withdraws from Pipe Pro Due to Illness
In the opening round of the Lexus Pipe Pro, the kickoff event to the 2024 WSL Championship Tour, the reigning world champ, Filipe Toledo, looked…off.
He waited almost 25 minutes (out of the 30-minute heat) to catch his first wave. And when he finally did put a score on the board, it was a dud. Up and out. No barrel. A score of 0.50. He backed it up with another. Just one small turn. Points: 1.27.
Although Filipe has famously struggled at heavier waves on Tour – Pipeline and Teahupo’o, primarily – this was a shocker for the Brazilian. Something was up.
As it turns out, Filipe was ill. Food poisoning, reportedly. And so ill that he decided to fully withdraw from the event, forgoing his spot in the elimination round.
Announcing the news, the WSL posted:
“Filipe Toledo has withdrawn from the event due to food poisoning.
“Elimination Round, Heat 1 will be a walk-through and the Round will start with Heat 2.
“Wishing Filipe a speedy recovery!”
Back in 2015, Toledo notoriously rode zero waves in a heat at Teahupo’o, scoring a heat total of 0.00. And the two-time world champ has struggled in bigger surf throughout his career. Speaking of that fear, Toledo’s father said on a podcast:
“The truth is that he is afraid of hitting the bottom of the coral, that is the fear he has, of hitting himself there and really hurting himself and that suffer irreversible injury. It's something that stays in his head.”
Could the fear be permeating into Pipeline for Toledo this year?
Possibly.
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