The waves of Praia do Mirante, in Santa Cruz, will host the fourth and final stage of the Junior Tour 2025, with the waves of the West preparing to crown the U20 national champions.
On June 26th and 27th, the best Portuguese juniors will compete in the Santa Cruz Projunior, a competition that is part of the Santa Cruz Ocean Spirit Festival’s sports map, and the competition schedule is now known.
Tiago Stock and Maria Salgado arrive at this stage at the top of their respective rankings and are establishing themselves as the main contenders for the title. But while Salgado already has practically one hand on the trophy in the women’s division, the men’s competition promises to be more intense and exciting, with João Roque Pinho and Francisco Ordonhas arriving in Santa Cruz also in a good position to win the U-20 national title, along with Tiago Guerra and Francisco Mittermayer, both mathematically facing a more difficult scenario to achieve the national title.
Tiago Stock, current leader of the men’s rankings on the Junior Tour
“I hope to be able to showcase my surfing and demonstrate the consistency and innovation of surfing today. That’s what I try to achieve in my manoeuvre criteria. The title is on my mind, as it’s a dream I’ve had since I was a kid, but I try not to think about it too much. I think everything happens for a reason, and we’ll see how it goes. I’m very confident about this event.”
João Roque Pinho, current runner-up in the Junior Tour men’s rankings
“Expectations for this final stage are very high; it’s going to be an intense race with a very high level. Winning this title is undoubtedly one of my biggest goals of the season. I’ve worked hard to get here, and now I have to give it my all in Santa Cruz to finish the year in the best possible way.”
Francisco Ordonhas, current European Junior Champion and number 6 in the Junior Tour rankings
“Expectations are high, the forecasts look very good, so it has everything to be a good stage. Being champion is a goal that has become much more difficult since I couldn’t make it to the Porto stage, and having one stage less than the others is undoubtedly a challenge, but I’ll just focus on my work and see how it turns out. What depends on me, I’ll control, and what depends on others is no longer up to me, so I’ll be focused only on what I can control.”
Scenarios for the men’s title
– Tiago Stock and João Roque Pinho will be champions if they win the stage; – Francisco Ordonhas needs to win the round and hope Tiago Stock doesn’t make it to the final.
– Francisco Mittermayer and Tiago Guerra are also in the running, but they have to win and hope for third-place results.
On the women’s side, things are simpler for Maria Salgado, who only needs to finish fifth overall to retain her U-20 national title. In other words, the 18-year-old surfer from Santa Cruz will be national champion if she reaches Round 2 and finishes no worse than third in her heat.
Round 1 Highlights – Men
Heat 4: Francisco Ordonhas vs. Manuel Costa vs. Baltazar Leão vs. Guilherme Reis
Heat 6: João Roque Pinho vs. Rodrigo Rocha vs. Gustavo Viana vs. Louis Escudeiro
Heat 7: Tiago Stock vs. Zé Champalimaud vs. Salvador Dias
Round 1 Highlights – Women
Heat 2: Lua Escudeiro vs. Miriam Julião vs. Constância Simões vs. Madalena Camilo
Heat 3: Maria Salgado vs. Suri Rodrigues vs. Francisca Miranda vs. Inês Piedade
In addition to awarding national titles, the Junior Tour serves as a competitive training platform for junior surfers to gain experience and hone their talent before entering the senior ranks, striving for national and international recognition.
The importance and success of the Junior Tour, which follows the World Surf League age standards, is evident in the names that are on the list of champions and currently lead Portuguese surfing, such as Frederico Morais, Vasco Ribeiro, Tomás Fernandes, Teresa Bonvalot, and Carolina Mendes, among others. Martim Nunes and Maria Salgado are the current national champions in this category.
Junior Tour – Gallery of Champions
2024 – Martim Nunes & Maria Salgado
2023 – Martim Nunes & Gabriela Dinis
2022 – Martim Nunes & Érica Máximo
2015 – Tomás Fernandes & Carolina Mendes
2014 – Tomás Fernandes & Teresa Bonvalot
2013 – Francisco Alves & Ana Sarmento
2012 – Francisco Alves & Carina Duarte
2010 – Vasco Ribeiro & Carina Duarte
2009 – Frederico Morais & Francisca Santos
Projunior Santa Cruz is part of Santa Cruz Ocean Spirit, one of the most traditional festivals in our country, which will be celebrating its 17th edition in 2025.
Laura Rodrigues, Mayor of Torres Vedras
“Once again, Projunior is part of Santa Cruz Ocean Spirit, promoting Santa Cruz as an ideal tourist destination for wave sports. It’s significant that this competition, which features national surfing titles in the junior (U20) category, takes place in Torres Vedras, a municipality committed to developing and promoting emerging talent.”
Marcelo Martins, from Onda Pura Surf Centre, is responsible for organising the event
“Hosting a stage of the national Projunior at Praia de Santa Cruz is already a tradition, and we are very pleased to do so for the fourth consecutive year, which reflects the success the event has had on this beach, recognised for its excellent surfing conditions. We will have the best national U-20 surfers competing for the title in this final stage, ensuring a weekend full of excitement and high-level surfing.”
Finally, O’Neill Portugal will reward the winners of the Projunior Santa Cruz with an invitation to join the brand’s team, along with technical equipment (two suits) and clothing. If the winners already have commitments with another brand, the prizes will be awarded by ranking to the first athlete available to accept this partnership.
All the action at Projunior Santa Cruz can be followed via the livescore system at ansurfistas.com, as well as on other institutional platforms of the National Surfers Association.
The final stage of the Junior Tour 2025 is part of the Santa Cruz Ocean Spirit and is organized by Onda Pura Surf Center and the National Surfers Association, with sponsorship from O’Neill, Gold Energy, Ramirez, Noah Surf House, MEO, Vitalis, 58 Surf, and support from the Torres Vedras City Council and the Portuguese Surfing Federation.
More information:
ANSURFISTAS.COM
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