Page 209 - Flaunt 175 - Diana

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out among the rolling tides, leonardo fioravanti,
a 23-year-old Italian surfer, not only finds respite and recreation, but also nourishment. In the man- ner that a plant’s thirst is quenched as water finds its roots, Fioravanti’s own roots thrive on the great salty blue sea. “The water has definitely helped me grow,” he explains, reflecting on his 16 year-long surfing career. “And that has to do with surfing— that’s the ocean, that’s the water,” he continues. “It keeps me alive.”
One of Fioravanti’s early achievements, after first being beckoned by the waves at aged four, was winning the Oceans 4 Teens competition in Italy in 2005. There, the mentorship from his older brother Matteo, a surfer for the Italian National Team, began to truly find its crest. “Simply falling in love with surfing,” recalls Fioravanti, “it has a lot to do with him. He always brought his little brother around. That’s something many big brothers don’t do.” Indeed, the surf world is not famous for inclusivity, and allowing a kid brother to tag along is presum- ably rare, but perhaps Matteo sensed something in the young athlete, whom Red Bull would later dub “the leading light of Italian surfing”.
Today, Fioravanti—with roots in Rome—has traveled all around the world for his love, from Australia to Nicaragua, France to Japan, Brazil to Hawaii. When looking back on the waters that he’s traversed, no one of which was ever the same, the surfer reflects, “I went to a place near the cliffs of Moher [Ireland], and the waves were insane. The place itself—so much beauty, the cliffs were huge, right on the water. It felt almost fake.”
Alas, when tending a plant, one must take care and consideration with water, as too much can do more harm than good. In 2015, in the first heat of a competition, Fioravanti fell, breaking two vertebrae so severely that he was expected to remain in a wheelchair. “My accident in 2015 made me real-
ize that things don’t come easy,” says Fioravanti, reflecting on dramatically defying the medical odds. “Since then, I’ve always wanted to improve more and more each day.”
And improve Fioravanti has, gaining a better understanding and respect for the ocean he so adores. After the accident, Fioravanti became the first Italian surfer to win the ISA Under-18 world title in Oceanside, California. He’s competed in the World Surf League Junior Championship in Por- tugal, grabbing second place at World Qualifying Series, and made it onto the WSL Championship Tour in 2019. At the time of our conversation, he is readying to compete in the Margaret River Pro in Australia, and looks forward to the Sunset Open in Hawaii this September.
Setting his eyes on the prize remains Fiora- vanti’s credo. “Put the work into it,” he says, “and you’ll get to where you want to get to.” The surfer concludes our interview, disconnects from tech- nology, and sets back out to the water, where he understands its power, learns from its teachings, and allows it to sustain him.