MEO Surf League – Allianz Figueira Pro marks the return of the best national surfing
Cabedelo beach, in Figueira da Foz, is ready to receive the best national surfers, at the Allianz Figueira Pro, which takes place from the 1st to the 3rd of April. This will be the first stage of the MEO Surf 2022 League, the main event in Portuguese surfing where the titles of national champions of the sport are decided.
It will be within 10 days that the horn that will kick off the 2022 men’s and women’s national title fight will sound for the first time. A return to a special beach for national surfing that, in 2020, hosted what was the first stage of the MEO Surf League and, simultaneously, the first surfing event in the whole world to go to the water already in the context of a pandemic.
Pedro Santana Lopes, Mayor of Figueira da Foz
“Welcoming the 1st stage in Figueira da Foz, of the MEO Surf League, is undoubtedly very important in national terms and very prestigious. Figueira da Foz is part of the historical itinerary of beaches in the MEO Surf League, as it brings together a whole set of characteristics that we want year after year to make it assume as a leading destination in the sport, throughout the year. We have a wide variety of beaches that meet unique conditions, I will dare to use the language of the sport, such as the frequency of swell and offshore winds. At the same time, an event of this nature boosts local tourism, which we want to say, as we cannot have seasonal tourism, but year-round tourism because Figueira has the potential to do so.”
But the Allianz Figueira Pro will also mark the start of another edition of the Allianz Triple Crown, the already historic sub-trophy, which in 2022 will distinguish the best surfers between the stages of Figueira da Foz, Ericeira and Ribeira Grande. It will be the eighth consecutive edition of a trophy that distributes an equal prize and which in 2021 had as winners Vasco Ribeiro and Francisca Veselko.
José Francisco Neves, Member of the Executive Committee of Allianz Portugal and Director of Transformation and Marketing
“It is with great enthusiasm that we are, for the 10th consecutive year, one of the main partners of the National Surfing Championship (Liga MEO Surf). This year we will name the stages of Figueira da Foz, Ericeira, already a classic for us, and, as a great novelty, we will also be naming sponsors of the Allianz Ribeira Grande Pro, thus providing the circuit’s return to the Azores, something that been desired by all those involved. We will keep with these three events our and increasingly of all, the Allianz Triple Crown trophy. At Allianz, we continue to recognize the importance of this association with Surfing and we are proud to share the same values of this sport, such as resilience, resilience and respect for the environment. The Allianz Brand has grown with this partnership, but we believe that national surfing has also benefited from this association.”
With Vasco Ribeiro and Francisca Veselko departing as defending champions, they will be the ones to wear the yellow Lycras of leaders of the Go Chill ranking in Figueira da Foz. But candidates to fight for the highest status of Portuguese surfing will not be lacking, where Ribeiro and Veselko take the lead, closely followed by an increasingly evolved new generation of national surfing. In the case of Vasco Ribeiro, this will be his return to competition, after an injury that has hindered the start of the international season, confirming his presence in Figueira da Foz.
Vasco Ribeiro, national champion in title
“It will be great to return to the championships and then to Figueira da Foz, which is a place I really like. I hope the waves are amazing. Expectations are high. I’ve been training a lot, so I think it’s going to be a great year. We have the new generation entering the national surfing scene in force, which is an extra attraction. It’s nice to be able to start with the yellow lycra on. The objective is to take it to the end of the season.”
In the case of Francisco Veselko, after the title obtained last season and still at a junior age, the leadership will also be a test of his determination and responsibility of the occupied status.
Francisca Veselko, national champion in the title
“It will be amazing to start the season of the MEO Surf League in Figueira da Foz, which has one of my favourite waves on the entire calendar. My expectations are high. There are always incredible waves in Figueira da Foz and I hope to show my full potential. It will be the first time I start the year with the yellow lycra. It’s something special and that’s a big motivation for me. My objective this year is to defend the national title with the same desire with which I achieved it. The level is getting higher and higher and I believe it will be a very disputed year among all surfers.”
History of Allianz Figueira Pro winners – Last 3 years:
2021 – Vasco Ribeiro and Yolanda Hopkins
2020 – Frederico Morais and Teresa Bonvalot
2019 – Gony Zubizarreta and Yolanda Hopkins
Allianz Figueira Pro 2021 in numbers:
– Stage Champions: Vasco Ribeiro and Yolanda Hopkins;
– 1274 waves surfed by 104 registered surfers;
– Best wave (maximum 10 points): Vasco Ribeiro, 10 points (final);
– Best score (maximum 20 points): Vasco Ribeiro, 19 points (final)
In terms of side trophies, the Joaquim Chaves Saúde group will award the best wave of the stage, while the Bom Petisco Girls Score will distinguish the best female score. Added to this is the fight for the Go Chill Expression Session, both for men and women. Finally, there is also the award given by the Municipality of Figueira da Foz to the best local surfers of this Allianz Figueira Pro.
Fantasy Surfer – + info
Prize-winning stage: Rip Curl Search GPS 2 Watch
Team constitution deadline: Call-time of the first day of competition
On television, the Allianz Figueira 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 League 2022 is an organization of the National Association of Surfers and Fire!, sponsored by MEO, Allianz Seguros, Joaquim Chaves, Bom Petisco, Go Chill, Somersby, Corona Extra and Rip Curl, sustainability partners Jerónimo Martins, local support from the Municipality of Figueira da Foz, Porto, and technical support from the Figueira da Foz Surfing Association and the Portuguese Surfing Federation.
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