Filipe Toledo was born with surfing in his blood. He grew up in a middle-class neighborhood in Ubatuba, Brazil, where his father Ricardo, a 3x national surfing champion in Brazil, was a local legend. Filipe was also prodded along by his older brother, Matheus, an early adopter of the acrobatic approach and friend and rival to Brazilian powerhouses like Miguel Pupo, Gabriel Medina and Jadson Andre.
Toledo spent his formative years watching a second generation of Brazilians take the world by storm, and while playing an endless game of catch-up in hopes of one day joining them, he matured faster than anyone imagined. He qualified for the Championship Tour at 18 and he's been supplying a healthy dose of electricity to the big show ever since. Today, at the tender age of 22, he's already a father. And after two wins in 2017 already, he's drifting right back into the World Title conversation. But Toledo is tempering expectations. The high voltage wunderkind is playing the long game when it comes to reaching for the next level. Looks like Fatherhood has already instilled a welcome dose of patience.