João Vitor
Chianca
Brazil
·
Surfing
Date of birth | 30 August 2000 |
|---|---|
Age | 25 |
Nationality | Brazil |
Disciplines | Surfing Competition |
Born into a family of surfers, João Vitor ‘Chumbinho’ Chianca was introduced to the waves around his hometown of Saquarema – near Rio de Janeiro in Brazil – at a young age and immediately knew this was a sport that he wanted to pursue.
Initially surfing for fun alongside his older brother Lucas 'Chumbo' Chianca, now one of the brightest stars in the world of big-wave surfing, João began to enter local competitions and demonstrate his undeniable ability.
While his brother chased the world's biggest waves, João focused on competitions and was rewarded with a place in the 2022 World Surf League (WSL) Challenger Series. However, things didn’t go to plan for the Brazilian as he failed to make the mid-year cut after a round of 32 loss at Margaret River in Australia.
The disappointment wouldn’t last long as João secured a place in the 2023 WSL Championship Tour and began the season by reaching the semi-finals in the opening two events in Hawaii. The following month he would claim his first victory on the tour, triumphing at the MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal, to reach number one in the world rankings.
A consistent season saw João 2023 ranked fourth on the WSL Championship Tour, a position he defended at the Rip Curl WSL Finals at Lower Trestles in California, his best finish to date and an ominous sign of things to come for the talented young Brazilian.