“I love you, we are together forever.”
In the northern hemi winter of 2021, the surf world was torn asunder when Gabriel Medina split, in a professional as well as a private sense, from his mammy Simone and his step-daddy Charlie Serrano.
Charlie was the ubiquitous, unsmiling, ever-supportive pillar behind his equally taciturn looking son.
The split was driven, it was said, by Gabriel Medina’s surprise marriage to actress and model Yasmin Brunet, whom Medina has since divorced.
“They have always lived through Gabriel’s career. Imposing discipline, giving strength and controlling everything closely. Now, he is no longer a boy and shares his life with his wife. It is undeniable how passionate they are,” said a friend.
The millionaire three-time world champ slashed his mammy’s five gees a month allowance down to three-and-a-half, and Simone and Charlie sold the fabled Gabriel Medina Institute in Maresias, which they got in the breakup deal, for around two-mill US.
Charlie and Simone got a house in a lux condo and the not so flashy joint they lived in before Gabriel got his first title.
Simone also got a little under a million US in cash.
Gabriel got to keep the six-unit luxury condo he developed with Charlie and a house in the middle of a forest where he now lived, briefly, with Yasmin and a dozen adopted dogs.
Simone and Charlie, meanwhile, concentrated on the burgeoning career of their other prodigy, Gabriel’s sister Sophia Medina.
Shortly after, Gabriel Medina quit the 2022 tour citing the fragility of his mental health.
Now, following Gabriel Medina’s blitzkrieg in Puerto Rico, Charlie has made his first public post about Gabriel in 166 weeks.
“Congratulations Gabriel, proud of you always, once again you wrote history, you touched us once again with your talent and determination, the gold is on the way, keep looking forward, I love you, we are together forever.”
Gabriel Medina responded with a three-pack emoji, a red love heart, a Brazilian flag and what is either a sword carrying woman in a niqab, a hard-working Asian who masks while collecting glass bottles out of trash cans for recycling or a Japanese ninja.
At one point, Gabriel’s mama Simone dives into the comments after one fan suggested “Gabriel doesn’t need a Coach, Coach, Professor and Staff. Gabriel is unique, born ready, a Genius!!!!”
Her reply?
“A lot of talents are lost without a foundation, one house without a foundation doesn’t stand. I know a lot of families that do that for their children even though they are geniuses, and I know it’s not easy. Together we are stronger. Only we who are familia and chew the same bone know what we need one day. God bless you…”
Inspirational!
