Leonardo
Fioravanti
Italy
·
Surfing
Date of birth | December 8, 1997 |
|---|---|
Birthplace | Rome, Italy |
Age | 28 |
Nationality | Italy |
Career start | 2005 |
Disciplines | Surfing Competition |
Leonardo Fioravanti started surfing at the age of four after he was inspired by his brother, Matteo, a surfer on the Italian national team. Leonardo’s talent was evident immediately and within just three years he began to surf internationally, while juggling his burgeoning surfing prowess with school commitments at home in Rome.
Leo's early achievements include winning the Ocean 4 Teens in Italy in 2005 and the Moustik Tour in Capbreton, France in 2007. He was also Under 12 Champion in Portugal and was selected by the Italian National Team to take part in the King of the Groms competition.
Junior successes
Fast forward five years and Leonardo had learned from some of the world's best surfers at the Red Bull Rising Camp in Australia and won a host of events at junior level.
Leonardo stepped up a gear in 2013 continuing to place well in events. He also attained a wild card allowing him to compete in the Quiksilver Pro France which was his first World Tour contest, but he lost the heat against the world champion, Mick Fanning.
Leonardo then went on to earn a place in the top 100 ranking list, which allowed him to compete in Hawaii for the last events of the season. He passed the first heats in Haleiwa and Sunset with very high scores and finished the year 23rd in the world ranking.
Injury and a winning return
However, he then suffered a bad injury. During the first heat of The Volcom Pro Pipeline in 2015, he fell and broke two vertebrae. It was so severe that he risked being wheelchair-bound and was kept from surfing for seven months. During this time, Leonardo underwent surgery, intense physiotherapy and saw a therapist.
But Leonardo was undeterred and focused on strengthening his pelvis, quadriceps and hips. In October 2015, eight months after his accident, he returned to surfing competitions and won the ISA Under-18 world title in Oceanside, California, the first Italian to do so.
Next up Leonardo progressed to surfing big waves and entered the WSL Junior Championship in Portugal, before he banked three straight runner-up finishes on the 2016 World Qualifying Series to book his ticket to the elite Championship Tour in 2017.
A consistent performer at the top level
He has continued to elevate his game since that comeback, winning the EDP Vissla Pro Ericeira on the WSL Challenger Series in 2022, before taking podium places at WSL Championship Tour events the following year, including runner-up at the prestigious Billabong Pro Pipeline. In 2025, he started the season by reaching the final of the Pipe Pro for the second time in his career and again lost to the defending champion from the 2024 event, Barron Mamiya.
A proud Italian, Leonardo continues to fly his country's flag on the highest stage as he searches for the medals, trophies and titles that have seemed his destiny since he first set his feet in wax.
A stunning backdrop in Tahiti
© Domenic Mosqueira/Red Bull Content Pool
Taking time out during a workout session in 2025
© Andrea Zaffaroni/Red Bull Content Pool
The Italian in action in Teahupo’o
© Domenic Mosqueira/Red Bull Content Pool
A consistent performer at the top level
© Domenic Mosqueira/Red Bull Content Pool