This week, we are re-airing our episode from 2022 with then rookie standout, Joao Chianca. Championship Tour rookie Joao Chianca joins the podcast to talk about making his debut at the Billabong Pro Pipeline. He recaps his huge winter on the North Shore, enjoying an amazing run of swell, staying at the Volcom house for the first time, and competing in his first career event. He breaks down how he prepared for Pipeline, how he took a short break to recharge for the season, and how different it is surfing in heats with one other person versus free surfing with hundreds of people in the lineup. He looks back at his road to the CT, growing up in Saquarema with his big wave surfing brother Lucas Chianca, idolizing Gabriel Medina and Adriano de Souza, competing and traveling the Qualifying Series with Samuel Pupo and Mateus Herdy, and his life-changing 2019 that eventually led to qualifying for the tour at Haleiwa last year. Joao also touches on making the switch to riding Channel Islands boards, the challenges of competing at places he’s never surfed before, and his big goals for his rookie year.
Learn more about Joao and follow him here.
Watch him live at the VIVO Rio Pro Presented By Corona, June 22 - 30th on worldsurfleague.com.
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The Lineup with Dave Prodan - A Surfing Podcast