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1st division of Portuguese surfing is about to return to action on the waves of Figueira da Foz

The Allianz Figueira Pro will start next Friday, the 1st stage of the MEO Surf League which takes place from the 22nd to the 24th of March at Cabedelo Beach, Figueira da Foz.

The return of the first division of Portuguese surfing is shrouded in expectation after an exciting dispute for the 2023 national titles that crowned

The return of the first division of Portuguese surfing is shrouded in expectation after an exciting dispute for the 2023 national titles that crowned Joaquim Chaves and Francisca Veselko champions.

The competition table now released suggests close heats in the first men’s and women’s rounds. It’s time for the best Portuguese surfers to put on their competition lycra again and show the results of the physical, psychological and technical work carried out during the pre-season to start the race for national titles with maximum strength.

Highlights of the Men’s Competition Board

H4: Halley Batista x Salvador Vala x Diogo Martins x trialist
H9: Guilherme Ribeiro x Jéjé Vidal x Guilherme Costa x trialist
H15: Arran Strong x Henrique Pyrrait x Martim Carrasco x Mário Leopoldo

Highlights of the Women’s Competition Board

H3: Érica Máximo x Constância Rocha Simões x Concha Balsemão
H6: Teresa Pereira x Lua Escudeiro x Ana Mel x Eva Jorge
H8: Mafalda Lopes x Beatriz Costa x Teresa Bonvalot

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Allianz Figueira Pro

The new generation of national surfing has increasingly asserted itself in recent years, managing, on several occasions, to counter the favouritism of more experienced surfers, creating highly contested and unpredictable heats and stages until the horn sounds in the finals.

Two of these protagonists are Martim Nunes and Francisco Ordonhas. The former became a two-time Pro Junior national champion last year and, together with Frederico Morais and Teresa Bonvalot, had the best wave of the Allianz Figueira Pro 2023, reaching the level of excellence with 8.75 points, closing the year as Top 10 nationally.

The second made consistency his weapon, finishing the year within the national Top 5 and, like his new generation companion, achieved his best result ever in the MEO Surf League with a 3rd place in the Porto stage.

Martim Nunes, national Top 10 and two-time Pro Junior national champion in 2023

“Last year’s championship in Figueira da Foz was great, I had a lot of fun. I managed to do some good surfing and in round 1 it was the first time I managed to do a wave of this excellent level in the MEO Surf League, which made me very happy. It was the first championship of the year and that immediately gave me extra motivation. I like to go surfing and compete in Figueira da Foz, it’s a place that has high waves, mainly long straight waves that allow us to do good manoeuvres. I hope this year is even better. Seeing the rise of junior surfers in the MEO Surf League gives me extra motivation. It’s great to see good results from the new generation and to compete against the more experienced ones. There is a good spirit among everyone with the older ones pushing us and the younger surfers pushing each other. My goals in 2024 are to do the best I can in the MEO Surf League and manage to finish in the Top 5. It would be incredible… Then I’ll focus on the European Pro Junior events and the QS’s. Above all, I want to evolve, catch big waves and have fun with my friends.”

Francisco Ordonhas, national Top 5 and junior world runner-up in 2023

“The waves in Figueira da Foz are very good. It is one of the best stages of the MEO Surf League. The sea forecasts are great, much better than in previous years, which indicates that it will be a good championship with very good surf. Junior surfers have been improving immensely. There are more and more new surfers advancing several rounds in the MEO Surf League from year to year. It’s good to see that the new generation is taking over. At this stage, and throughout the year, I will try to surf without pressure even though I know I have the surf to achieve good results. The more rounds you advance, the better. But at the same time, the more quality surfing you do, the better. It’s more important to have good surfing than to pass more or fewer rounds.”

franciscoordonhas
Francisco Ordonhas ©Jorge Matreno/ANSurfistas)

In addition to opening hostilities in the fight for national titles, the Allianz Figueira Pro is, simultaneously, the first of three stages of the Allianz Triple Crown, a sub-trophy that will distinguish the best surfers who obtain the best results in all of the Figueira Foz, Ericeira and Ribeira Grande stages.

The Jerónimo Martins Group is, for the sixth consecutive year, the sustainability partner of the MEO Surf League. This partnership is one of the examples of the Group’s investment in sharing information and good practices related to the preservation of ecosystems. Another example is Be The Story, a website developed by the Group focused on sustainability themes. The Jerónimo Martins Group will carry out sustainability awareness activities with a focus on preserving ocean biodiversity. Its “Amar o Mar” program, in conjunction with Pingo Doce, will provide awareness and pedagogy actions including beach cleanups, involving children from schools in all municipalities visited by the competition.

In terms of parallel prizes, the Allianz Figueira Pro will include the Best Wave (best wave of the stage); Bom Petisco Girls Score (best score exclusively dedicated to ladies), Go Chill Expression Session (best maneuvers for both men and women), Waversby Round (best sports performance in round 3), Waikiki Junior Award (best junior surfer in competition) and there are also prizes reserved for the best local surfers in Figueira da Foz.

Regarding Fantasy Surfer, participants can now choose their favourite surfers and form teams to be eligible for good prizes. Stage winner prize: Rip Curl Search GPS 2 Watch
Deadline for team formation: Call time on the first day of the race.

On television, the Allianz Figueira Pro can be followed live on Sport TV, as well as on other official channels: MEO’s Facebook page, Blue Button of the MEO command, at www.ansurfistas.com and social networks at @ansurfistas.

The MEO Surf 2024 League is organized by the National Surfers Association and Fire!, with the sponsorship of MEO, Allianz Seguros, Bom Petisco, Go Chill, Corona, Somersby, Waikiki, Rip Curl, sustainability partner Jerónimo Martins, the local support from Figueira da Foz City Council and technical support from the Figueira da Foz Surfing Association and the Portuguese Surfing Federation.

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