AT JUST 16 years old, Gabriel Medina is preparing for his first crack at the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast.

He scored a wildcard entry into the competition through his astonishing victory at the Quiksilver World King of the Groms in France last year.

The Brazilian strung together aerial manoeuvres in contest heats with an almost effortless style, which earned him an almost unheard of perfect 20-point heat in September’s final.

His minder told Junior Sport yesterday that Medina had overcome a setback to his shot at the Snapper Rocks event with some help from his countrymen at a Coolangatta cafe.

The world under-18 champion was rocked when his boards didn’t turn up at the airport when he arrived at Coolangatta recently. He was in an unfamiliar country for one of the most important moments of his career, but without vital equipment.

While the desperate search for the luggage started, at least Medina could get a taste of home from Little Lido Cafe’s “acai” berry juice, especially made by the Brazilians who work at the cafe.

With the luggage recently located in San Francisco, Medina has his mind back on the task at hand.

Medina has taken out a six-star World Qualifying event, but has never competed on the World Tour.

“He is really excited and I can tell you that any competitor who comes up against him should be worried, because he is the real thing,” the minder said.