We met Italian surfer and Olympic athlete Leonardo Fioravanti on a Sunday in January in Haleiwa, on the North Shore — synonymous with surfing in Hawaii — to talk about surf philosophy and how female athletes are raising the level of competition.

Fioravanti, 24, recovering from ankle surgery, was preparing for the Billabong Pro Pipeline, held in Hawaii from 29 January to 6 February, which crowned Kelly Slater and Moana Jones Wong as winners.

After his defeat at the Tokyo Olympic Games, where surfing featured as an Olympic discipline for the first time, Leonardo Fioravanti is training with the goal of winning an Italian Olympic gold medal in surfing.

Hawaii is the home of surfing. How much do you think the original philosophy has been preserved, and how do you see it now, between contests and competitions?
Surfing is Hawaii's main sport. When you arrive in Hawaii, if you go to Waikiki, you immediately see surfers, surf schools, Duke's statue there on the beach. Then obviously if you go to the North Shore, where I am every year, it really is the centre of the surfing world. Surf culture has remained part of Hawaiian culture from the very beginning, and if you're Hawaiian and you don't surf, that's quite a strange thing. Today everyone surfs, rain or shine.

What is the spirit of surfing to you?
The spirit of surfing, in my opinion, is fun and nature. The connection with nature. I'm lucky enough to do a sport where I spend my days in the sea, in the ocean, and to me that's something truly wonderful. The philosophy of surfing is travelling, being free. Surfing can take you to every corner of the world, help you make friends. It really is a way of life, not just a sport. That's the most beautiful thing about surfing, in my opinion.

Your life is also tied to the health of the oceans. How much does environmental sustainability weigh on your daily life and your lifestyle?
For me it's a very important aspect. In many of the places I'm lucky enough to travel to, I see islands full of plastic and rubbish carried by the currents. When you travel, it's very hard to be 100 per cent sustainable. It's practically impossible. I really hope that governments can make a big difference by putting rules in place on plastic and protecting the oceans. In my day-to-day life I always try to pay the greatest possible attention.

What advice would you give to someone who is approaching this sport?
Go to the nearest surf school, whether that's in Italy or abroad. Start, because it's a wonderful sport that can take you to incredible places and give you the most amazing experiences. The feeling on a surfboard is indescribable.

Do you consider it a sport?
For me surfing is a sport but also a way of life.

The most beautiful place you've surfed?
The most beautiful place for me is Fiji. Cloudbreak is a place I love. Tavarua is a tiny island with several waves around it that are spectacular.

Do you think the commercialisation of surfing has caused it to lose its original spirit?
There are two types of surfers. There's the surfer who does it for fun. The surfer who rents a campervan, maybe heads to Morocco and works their way along the whole coastline — that still exists. That becomes the lifestyle of someone who goes in search of any wave, camping or in a tent, or in a van. For me, surfing has by now become a job — it really is a job, it's my life. I have to train. I'm an athlete, not just a surfer. From diet to physical training, in the water. Commercialisation hasn't changed that spirit. You can do it as a professional or you can do it for fun, and that will always remain pure surfing.

Do you think it's true that women have fewer opportunities to get sponsorships?
I was talking to a French surfer and he was telling me that this year at the Olympics two French girls and two French boys competed. The two girls, thanks to the Olympics, found a huge number of sponsors, whereas the boys didn't sign a single contract. It's a wonderful thing, I have to say. It's also true that sometimes sponsors don't look at how a girl surfs but stop at her physical appearance, and that's the really ugly side of sponsorships. It shouldn't be like that.

In surfing, the prize money, for both male and female athletes, is always the same. Exactly the same: the prize money is equal, we go to the same events, and in fact there are fewer of them, so technically they even earn a little more. And that's right too, because they are athletes, and thanks to this the level of women's surfing will rise. It will give young girls the opportunity to start out and understand that a career is possible, between sponsorships and prize money. The opportunities are there.

Do you follow a particular diet?
I don't follow a particular diet, but I always try to eat well and alternate carbohydrates, vegetables and protein. I burn a huge number of calories during the day, I really eat a lot. If I want to have a dessert I don't say no — quite the opposite! With pleasure! Why? Because I do a huge amount of sport. It also depends on where I am. If I'm somewhere where the waves are small and I need to be a bit lighter, then I'm more careful. On the other hand, right now during this period when we're in Hawaii and the waves have a lot more power, two kilos more or one kilo less doesn't make much difference. In fact, the heavier you are, the better it almost is. The important thing is not to lose speed.

A typical day?
Two or three surf sessions a day, depending on the waves. If the waves aren't good I try to surf less and do a physical workout at the gym. Up early, surfing, maybe a physical training session. The afternoon on the beach surfing and training. I love spending my days in the water and improving myself, surfing and having fun.

What was the Olympic experience in Tokyo like?
Tokyo was a wonderful experience. I've never been to any other Olympics so I can't compare other Olympics with an audience. I don't have that experience. None of the surfers do. So we'll see at the next ones. The experience was wonderful: seeing the Olympic village, meeting thousands of athletes was an incredible thing. The result was certainly not what I wanted at all, but fortunately I'm young enough — I'll still have two or three Olympics ahead of me. I'm fired up for the next ones. The result at the Olympics will come! I'm 24, at the next one I'll be 26. Then 30, 34. At 34 you're still in shape. Maybe even 38.

After 38, how do you see yourself?
After that, we'll see. There will be so many things after surfing. I'm someone who always wants to be doing something. I don't see myself as someone who stops surfing and does nothing. I'm certainly not going to stand still.

Where would you like to live?
Surfing will always be part of my life, so somewhere with waves. Whether that's Hawaii or the south-west of France, where I spend a lot of time. We'll see in the future. It also depends on the work I'll have after surfing, and the lifestyle I'll want — between surfing and golf, maybe snow. Who knows. So many things can happen in life. Right now I'm focused on the present, and on what's happening in the present. For the rest, we'll see.