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Allianz Figueira Pro marks the start of the 1st division of Portuguese Surf

Liga MEO Surf

The Allianz Figueira Pro, the inaugural stage of the 2023 MEO Surf League, takes place from the 24th to the 26th of March at Cabedelo beach, in Figueira da Foz. The best national surfers are back on one of the best waves in the country, at the start of the discussion of the men’s and women’s national titles.

The long rights of Cabedelo beach will be the scene of the highest level of surfing. Teresa Bonvalot and Guilherme Ribeiro, defending champions of the MEO Surf League, will want to start defending their titles with a strong performance in Figueira da Foz.

Pedro Santana Lopes, Mayor of Figueira da Foz

“It is with joy and great satisfaction that Figueira da Foz receives, once again, the best surfers in Portugal for the start of the MEO Surf League. Expectations are always positive for the reception of elite athletes from the 1st division of Portuguese surfing and the thousands of tourists who accompany them to watch the event that marks the municipality’s sports calendar up close.
Figueira da Foz has a deep connection with the sea. There are 34km of beaches and many of them have ideal conditions for surfing, which makes the municipality an excellent tourist destination for lovers of the sport. It is, without a doubt, a source of pride to host the opening stage of the first division of this extraordinary Olympic modality, which has become an important tourist product for our city. May the winds blow in our favor and may we have a weekend full of good waves for everyone!”

In addition to kicking off the fight for national titles, the Allianz Figueira Pro is, at the same time, 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 the set of stages, from Figueira da Foz, Ericeira, and Ribeira Grande.

Allianz Triple Crown – Leaderboard
2022 – Guilherme Fonseca and Teresa Bonvalot
2021 – Vasco Ribeiro and Francisca Veselko
2020 – Afonso Antunes and Teresa Bonvalot
2019 – Miguel Blanco and Teresa Bonvalot
2018 – Gony Zubizarreta and Camilla Kemp

Figueira da Foz ©Jorge Matreno/ANSurfistas

Guilherme Fonseca and Teresa Bonvalot are the current holders of the trophy that distributes an equal prize for both categories and that this year is already in its ninth edition.

José Francisco Neves, Member of the Executive Committee of Allianz Portugal and Director of Transformation and Marketing

“This year we celebrate 10 years of association of Allianz Portugal to national Surf! In 2013 we took the decision to support one of the fastest-growing sports in our country, which has proved to be an extremely valuable partnership for both parties. The evolution of Surf in Portugal is notorious and when talking about this modality there is already a natural association with the Allianz brand. We are recognized as the insurer of this sport and this means that we continue to bet, year after year, on the main competition in our country. 2023 also marks the 8th year that we have launched the Allianz Triple Crown. The first stage of our trophy – the Allianz Figueira Pro, takes place as usual on Cabedelo beach, where we already feel at home. It is with great enthusiasm that we are back.”

The current national champions, Guilherme Ribeiro and Teresa Bonvalot will be the only ones to wear the yellow lycra of last year’s Go Chill ranking leaders. Guilherme Ribeiro made history by winning the first national title of his career, taking him to Costa de Caparica, something that had not happened for 24 years. The affirmation of the new generation was already a reality in recent years in the MEO Surf League and the title of the 20-year-old surfer came to prove that through work and dedication, it is possible to face and beat more experienced surfers. Teresa Bonvalot also made history by becoming a four-time national champion, adding another important title to her brilliant career.

Guilherme Ribeiro, defending national champion

“This year I prepared myself better because I went to Hawaii for the pre-season with the aim of working on my weaknesses. And I want to show the fruit of this work in the MEO League and in the world qualifying circuit. I’m starting the year in yellow spandex and I know others look at me as a target, but I like hotly contested heats. I like the waves in Figueira da Foz, whether in Cabedelo or Murtinheira. Despite never having won the stage, I have always had good results in the last 4/5 years. And this year I’m going there to win.”

History of Allianz Figueira Pro winners – Last four years:
2022 – Vasco Ribeiro and Francisca Veselko
2021 – Vasco Ribeiro and Yolanda Hopkins
2020 – Frederico Morais and Teresa Bonvalot
2019 – Gony Zubizarreta and Yolanda Hopkins

Allianz Figueira Pro 2022 in numbers:
– Stage Champions: Vasco Ribeiro and Francisca Veselko;
– 1093 waves surfed by 104 registered surfers;
– Best wave (maximum 10 points): Vasco Ribeiro, 9.25 points. Yolanda Hopkins, 9.25 points.
– Best score (maximum 20 points): Vasco Ribeiro, 17 points.

In terms of parallel prizes, Allianz Figueira Pro will include Joaquim Chaves Saúde Best Wave (best wave of the stage); Bom Petisco Girls Score (best score exclusively dedicated to the ladies), Go Chill ExpressionSession (best maneuvers for both men and women), Waversby Round (best sports performance in round 3) and also the prizes reserved for the best local surfers in Figueira da Foz.

Fantasy Surfer – More info at fantasy.ansurfistas.com
Stage winning prize: Rip Curl Search GPS 2 Watch
Team constitution deadline: call time on the first day of the race

On a television level, Allianz Figueira Pro can be followed live on Sport TV, as well as on other official media: MEO facebook, MEO app – available at position 810 of the MEO channel grid, and at www.ansurfistas.com and social media at @ansurfistas.

Liga MEO Surf 2023 is an organization of the National Association of Surfers and Fire!, sponsored by MEO, Allianz Seguros, Joaquim Chaves Saúde, Bom Petisco, Go Chill, Corona, Somersby, the sustainability partner Jerónimo Martins, the support local Municipality of Figueira da Foz, the technical support of the Figueira da Foz Surfing Association and the Portuguese Surfing Federation.

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