Toledo to Miss Bells, Likely Margaret River Too

Ready for a World Title race shakeup? Well, it looks like we can remove Filipe Toledo from the running in 2016, as the Brazilian looks like he’ll miss the next two events of the Championship Tour season. Toledo injured his groin when landing an aerial maneuver at Snapper Rocks during the semifinal of the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast. His landing was altered by some backwash on the wave, causing his body to be compacted much more than he likely expected. Toledo was a warrior out there, though, toughing out the remainder of the heat and nearly winning it. It was clear, though, in watching Toledo surf the remainder of the semifinal that he was in pain and unable to perform to his usual level.

It's easy to forget how dangerous aerial maneuvers can be.
Courtesy of Stephen Tyler PJs

It was a big hit to lose Toledo from the Quiksilver Pro, as it appeared that he was headed for a second consecutive win there. What’s even more significant, though, is that this essentially removes him from World Title contention. A lot of people thought 2016 would be Toledo’s year, as he came close to winning it all last year. Missing two events, however, makes it nearly impossible to accrue enough points to contend for the World Title. Toledo will look to get healthy and compete in as many event as possible, but the repercussions will be felt throughout the CT ranks in the wake of this news. As if the upset-riddled Quiksilver pro didn't cloud the World Title race enough.

Follow Morgan, founder of Go Left, on Twitter @GoLeftSurf

Preseason Surfer Profile: Nat Young

Leading up to the 2016 World Surf League Championship Tour season, I will be counting down my projected Top 10 surfers for the highest level of men's competitive surfing. A preview of the women's 2016 season is also to come.

Nat Young, USA

2016 Go Left World Ranking Projection: 8 

2015 World Ranking: 10

2015 WCT Wins: 0

Nat Young is an interesting case. He surfs consistently from heat to heat, and for the most part from event to event. However, he rarely looks spectacular the way the guys ahead of him in the 2016 projected rankings often do. Nat is best on his backhand, as his hacks on rights can be some of the best on tour. He has a lot of raw power, and that's probably his biggest asset, but Young's not much of an aerial guy, he’s not a standout in barrels and he needs a pretty big swell to truly showcase his abilities. That said, there is enough potential for conditions of which Young can take advantage on the World Tour for him to log another 10^th, or better, in the world rankings.

Nat Young on his backhand, where he often puts up his best performances.
Courtesy of Steven Tyler PJs

Young has been on tour for three years now. In those three seasons he’s finished eighth, 13^th and 10^th in the rankings. Like I said, consistency. He needs to perform really well in big, open-faced conditions to have a chance at a career year, which means he'd do well to advance deep into events like Bells, Margaret River and J-Bay. 2015 saw Nat finish third, third and ninth in those stops, respectively. I would expect similar results in those events again in 2016, but if he can win one and make a final in another he could be looking at a potential Top 5 finish in the rankings this year. One thing is for sure; this guy works extremely hard. He’s just 24 years old, but how much better will his repertoire get?

Follow Morgan, founder of Go Left, on Twitter @GoLeft