Frederico Morais e Teresa Bonvalot vencem o Allianz Ribeira Grande Pro
Liga MEO Surf
- Teresa joins victory in the national title stage;
- Kikas enters the accounts of the fight for the male champion;
- Guilherme Ribeiro is the new leader of the yellow lycra Go Chill;
- Guilherme Fonseca and Teresa Bonvalot win Allianz Triple Crown.
Frederico Morais and Teresa Bonvalot won this Sunday, the triumph at the Allianz Ribeira Grande Pro, the fourth and penultimate stage of the MEO Surf 2022 League, the first division of national surfing.
A journey of many decisions and emotions, with Teresa adding the victory on the stage to the women’s national title, which she had achieved in advance. On the male side, the balance was greater, but with the triumph in the Azorean competition, Kikas entered the accounts for the national title, which will be decided in the final stage of the MEO Surf League 2022, in Peniche.
The action started early on the beach of Areal de Santa Bárbara, with the sea offering conditions of great potential. Something that Teresa Bonvalot took advantage of to start building the “trophy gallery” with which she ended the day. After Camilla Kemp and Carolina Mendes secured spots in the semi-finals, it was Teresa’s turn to dominate heat 2, with Maria Salgado passing in the second position. An outcome that guaranteed Teresa Bonvalot’s victory in the women’s Allianz Triple Crown.
After that, the men’s event entered the water, with the quarter-finals offering a lot of balance. In the first heat, Tomás Fernandes beat Pedro Coelho and set up a meeting with Guilherme Fonseca in the semi-finals after he won heat 2 against Arran Strong. In the second half of the competitive frame, Frederico Morais was stronger than the junior Martim Nunes, with the last heat having a triumph of Eduardo Fernandes against Guilherme Ribeiro. Something that left the Allianz Triple Crown’s accounts at the mercy of three of the four semifinalists, namely Tomás Fernandes, Guilherme Fonseca, and Eduardo Fernandes.
The women’s event returned to the water for a decisive phase, with the first heat offering a big surprise. Junior Maria Salgado, 15 years old, showed herself in great shape and obtained a comeback towards the end against Camilla Kemp, reaching the first final of her career in the MEO Surf League. It remained to be seen who the other finalist was, and if Teresa Bonvalot surpassed the semi-finals, she would automatically guarantee the national title.
Teresa faced Carolina Mendes, one of the main opponents in the accounts for the title, but even that did not disturb the triumphant walk of the surfer from Cascais. Teresa Bonvalot dominated the heat from start to finish and gave the hundreds of people present on the beach an international-level performance. With 18.75 points, Teresa got the best score of the stage in this heat, in addition to riding two of the best waves of the championship. But more she was to come.
In between, there was a place for the men’s semi-finals, where Guilherme Fonseca overcame Tomás Fernandes in a direct flight for the accounts in dispute. With the passage to the final, Gui needed a triumph to stamp the victory in the Allianz Triple Crown and also the leadership of the men’s ranking. In the other semi-final, Frederico Morais overcame Eduardo Fernandes and became the great hope of the already eliminated Guilherme Ribeiro to come out on top in the final rankings and Allianz Triple Crown.
In the early afternoon, the women’s final took to the water, where Teresa Bonvalot used all her experience to comfortably beat Maria Salgado, with 17.80 points against 6.65 for the young surfer from Santa Cruz. In addition, Teresa also managed the best wave of the entire stage, with 9.75 points, even close to perfection. To the national title and the Allianz Triple Crown, Teresa Bonvalot also added the victory in the stage, in addition to having collected the various sub-trophies in dispute.
“I am very happy for these achievements”, began by stressing Teresa Bonvalot. “I felt super good with the sea conditions that were. I think it was impossible to finish the stage in better conditions than these. I tried to have as much fun as possible, put everything into each wave and I leave very happy with the surf I showed. It was a very positive trip, with a very united group and those are the memories that stay. That’s what makes me want to do more and better”, underlined the new national champion, who succeeds Kika Veselko and who, in addition to her fourth career title, leaves the Azores with her 24th victory in stages in the MEO Surf League.
In the men’s final, Frederico Morais started stronger, but Guilherme Fonseca quickly balanced the dispute. Even so, Frederico’s experience served to preserve the triumph in this Allianz Ribeira Grande Pro, with 15.35 points, against 14.65 for the opponent. An outcome that put Frederico Morais in the accounts of the national title, which will only be decided in the last stage, in Peniche.
“All victories are special, but winning here is very special”, began by saying, Frederico. “I’m ultra-competitive, I love winning and having heats like almost everyone else in this event. After winning the first stage of his career on the national circuit here in the Azores, in 2019, coming back and winning again has that special touch. I love the Azores, it’s a beautiful land, where we are always well received, both by people and by the sea“, stressed Kikas, who won the 15th stage of his career on the national circuit, having been the first, precisely, in the Azores, in 2009, the last time the circuit here had passed.
Kikas’ victory in Ribeira Grande also allowed Guilherme Ribeiro to secure the yellow lycra Go Chill at the top of the men’s national ranking. However, he left the men’s Allianz Triple Crown accounts wrapped up, with Guilherme Ribeira and Guilherme Fonseca tied and needing to dispute an unprecedented surf-off. In that tiebreaker heat, Guilherme Fonseca beat Guilherme Ribeiro, achieving his first career triumph at the Allianz Triple Crown.
Allianz Ribeira Grande Pro final results:
Men’s final: Frederico Morais 15.35 x Guilherme Fonseca 14.65
Women’s final: Teresa Bonvalot 17.80 x Maria Salgado 6.65
Female Go Chill Expression Session: Teresa Bonvalot
Men’s Go Chill Expression Session: Halley Batista
Joaquim Chaves Saúde Best Wave: Teresa Bonvalot, 9.75 points in the final
Bom Petisco Girls Score: Teresa Bonvalot, 18.75 points, in the semi-finals
Ericeira Best Surfer: Jácome Correia
The 2022 MEO Surf League now returns from the 11th to the 13th of November with Bom Petisco Peniche Pro, the fifth and final stage of the season. That’s where the men’s national title will be decided. A fight where Guilherme Ribeiro comes out ahead, but still with several surfers in the fight, among them Frederico Morais and the defending champion Vasco Ribeiro.
On television, the Allianz Ribeira Grande Pro can be watched 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 networks at @ansurfistas.
The MEO Surf 2022 League is an organization of the National Association of Surfers and Fire!, sponsored by MEO, Allianz Seguros, Joaquim Chaves Saúde, Bom Petisco, Go Chill, Somersby, Corona and Rip Curl, sustainability partner Jerónimo Martins, local support from the Ribeira Grande City Council, and technical support from the Azores Surf Club and the Portuguese Surfing Federation.
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