SAQUAREMA, BRAZIL — 26 June 2026: Reigning World Champion Yago Dora and first-time Championship Tour winner Sawyer Lindblad closed the VIVO Rio Pro with two very different statements: Dora delivered under the full weight of a home crowd, while Lindblad held her nerve in a tactical final to earn the biggest result of her career.
Yago Dora brings it home
Dora’s road through Finals Day was relentless. He posted a 15.67 in the quarterfinals, a 14.30 in the semifinals and then a winning 15.00 in the final against Italy’s Leonardo Fioravanti. The 15.00 total secured Dora’s fourth CT victory and his second Rio title after 2023.
The final turned on Dora’s ability to find the cleaner sections at Itaúna and convert them with speed, rotation and commitment. Fioravanti stayed close with 13.17 and left Brazil wearing the yellow leader jersey, but the day belonged to Dora and the Saquarema crowd.
Sawyer Lindblad’s breakthrough
Lindblad defeated 15-year-old rookie sensation Tya Zebrowski 7.67 to 6.10 in a wave-starved women’s final. The scoreline was modest, but the stakes were enormous: Lindblad’s first CT event win and Zebrowski’s first final on the elite tour.
Zebrowski had already produced one of the event’s defining performances, beating Nadia Erostarbe 14.84 to 8.67 in the semifinal. Lindblad answered by staying composed, taking the best available opportunities and finishing the job.
Rio highlights
- Yago Dora: 15.00 in the men’s final, defeating Leonardo Fioravanti’s 13.17.
- Sawyer Lindblad: maiden Championship Tour victory.
- Tya Zebrowski: first CT final at only 15.
- Fioravanti: leaves Brazil as men’s rankings leader.
- Itaúna: four-to-six-foot surf, offshore wind and difficult wave selection.
Surf Coast kit note: Long competition days are a reminder to keep hydration and recovery simple. We travel with reusable Mizu drinkware and keep a Leus towel ready for the post-surf change. Mizu and Leus are Surf Coast Surf Report partners and are not represented here as WSL or VIVO Rio Pro sponsors.
Sources: WSL event report via Boardriding; World Surf League.
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