Leonardo Fioravanti becomes first Italian to win a World Surf League Championship Tour event

A historic first for Italian surfing

Leonardo Fioravanti secured Italy's first ever World Surf League Championship Tour victory at the Surf City El Salvador Pro 2026, beating world number one Ítalo Ferreira in the final. The 28-year-old from Rome, who had previously come close with a runner-up finish at Pipeline last year, broke through to cement his place in surfing's elite. Fioravanti's win also lifts him to third in the world rankings, the only non-Brazilian in the top six.

Road to the final

Fioravanti's path through the event showcased consistent high-performance surfing. He eliminated Brazilians Mateus Herdy and Samuel Pupo in the early rounds, then delivered the highest single-wave score of the competition (9.00) in a quarter-final win over Frenchman Marco Mignot (15.93 to Mignot's score). In the semi-final, he edged out long-time friend Kanoa Igarashi of Japan with an 8.50 ride to book his spot against Ferreira.

The final showdown

Against the injured Ferreira (competing with eight stitches in his knee), Fioravanti opened aggressively with an 8.33, then added a 7.00 for a winning total of 15.33. Ferreira managed only 10.90 (7.50 and 3.40). The Italian's power and precision from the first wave set the tone, allowing no comeback.

“I'm over the moon, I've dedicated the last 10 years to this. I'm happy for me, my family, my wife, my coach and all the people who work with me. I came so close so many times that it seems impossible.”

A career of milestones

Fioravanti has been a trailblazer for Italian surfing. He won the World Junior Championship in 2015, became the first Italian to qualify for the World Surf League in 2017, and represented Italy at both the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympics. This latest victory adds a WCT event title to a pioneering résumé.

Emotional reaction

After the win, Fioravanti fought back tears. He thanked his wife Sophie, his family, and his team. "I've been on the Championship Tour for nine years and I never stopped believing," he said. "I always knew I had the level to do it, but winning an event on this tour is damn hard. These guys are incredible."